Akame Ga Kill Reb1rth
by Eramis8
Summary: Akame's been given the chance to save her future from total destruction. If only she can navigate the changes that have been made to the past. Time Travel AU with OC. Beta-reader: Iamyandere4ever.
1. Kill the Rebirth

The full moon illuminated the darkest scene Akame could imagine. From her vantage point on a nearby hill, the Capitol that she left behind five years ago should have been was gone, replaced by Danger Beast infested ruins.

 _How could this have happened?_ Akame wondered, letting her senses stretch while the moonlight became dimmer. Looking up, she realized what was happening: a lunar eclipse. As she began to lose sight of the ruins, questions naturally surfaced within her.

Sensing motion behind her, Akame whirled to meet her expected opponent, the sword Teigu Masurame already in her hands. Searching the deepening shadows behind her for the cause, her eyes found a glowing face. The glow brightened, illuminating the area around a figure while dimming to allow her to study the new face. Alabaster white hair and eyes glowed from a relaxed expression that stared back at her, serene despite the hostility she radiated. The new figure stepped closer, letting its radiance banish some of the shadows surrounding it and allowing Akame to catch a glimpse of a tattered gray robe over a slim male body.

"So you've finally arrived, Akame of Night Raid." He spoke with unnatural tranquility given his circumstances. She pointed Murasame in his direction, expecting him to react only to feel some surprise when he neither flinched nor made a move of his own. Something about him prevented her normally stoic responses to strangers. Even if she didn't know why he seemed immune to the killing intent she radiated in hopes of scaring him off.

"Who are you?" Her voice inquired in lowered curiosity. It wasn't a friendly greeting, more of an intense questioning. It took a moment for the figure's confusion to become a mirror of her own curiosity.

 _He's younger than me,_ Akame thought to herself as he blinked in a slow, sad manner. "I don't have an actual name but you can call me Tsu. And to answer your unasked question about what happened to the Capitol? It is disappointingly simple; it was destroyed mid-conflict with the Empire's surviving loyalists. I hate to say this but all you've done is for nothing."

Akame couldn't control her arms as they dropped to her sides, the last sparks of hope crushed by the one calling himself Tsu. _Everyone, I'm sorry. I've failed to protect the peace we fought for. Bulat, Sheele, Chelsea, Lubbock, Mien, Susanoo, Leone, Najenda….Tatsumi. I'm sorry._

"But that doesn't mean it can't be undone." Tsu's words raised her head, though Akame didn't remember letting it fall.

"How? How do I undo this?" She was desperate, her red eyes searching his face for anything that could help her. Anything that could make her actions worth something to someone.

"You really care about Tatsumi's dream, don't you?" Despite herself, Akame felt a blush warm her cheeks at the mention of the boy. She could practically see his green eyes and warm smile, hear his promise to her and his apologetic last words, and feel the pain in her heart again as he fell for a girl that wasn't her. "I have a simple question: what would you give up for that chance?"

"Everything." Her reply was automatic, out of her mouth before she could even give it a thought.

"Good. I'm going to collect on that later." Tsu answered, his voice suddenly as dark as the totally eclipsed moon overhead. Akame didn't have time to react before the glow around him became a flash, blinding her.

* * *

When the flash faded, a solitary figure stood on the hill, nothing more than a silhouette in the returning moonlight. "Glad to know I didn't waste any time." The figure said to itself before disappearing into the trees as Danger beasts began to howl. Tsu had a lot of things to do, after all.

* * *

Akame blinked at the spots in her eyes, willing them to dissipate. She found herself suspended over a familiar scene, one that filled her with nostalgia. It was the noble's house where they met Tatsumi in the midst of the mission. A quick glance at the flesh of her exposed arms showed no trace of the marks left over from using her trump card in the Capitol. She did her best to stifle the smile that wanted to take over her face now that she knew she was in the past.

She looked around her, her memory easily identifying the people around her.

Bulat stood proud in his Incursio armor; Leone looked eager to pounce in her Lionelle form; Sheele had her Ecstasy scissors already slightly open in preparation of her next foe; Mien was sighting the patrolling guards with Pumpkin; Lubbock was manipulating the wires that held them up.

When her eyes landed on another smaller form, she flinched despite herself. Kurome sat right next to her in her black sailor uniform, munching away on a small pack of cookies. The smaller girl looked over Akame, concern in her eyes.

"Onee-chan, is it time to go?" Kurome asked, putting her snacks away.

Akame's mind blanked out everything other than a single question: _Is this really the past?_

.

..

…

….

Akame kept waiting for the illusion in front of her to break, for something to start making sense.

"Onee-chan, we should go before the guards spot us. Lubbock is too busy trying to look cool to help us sneak in." Kurome shook Akame's arm while giving the green-themed assassin a hard look. He let loose a disappointed sigh before shooting the black-eyed girl a withering look of his own.

"Someone has to ensure we have an exit route prepared." Lubbock muttered, annoyed that Kurome was picking on him for being more of a support on team missions. Again.

Leone looked at Akame, and tried to read her thoughts. After accounting for Akame's usual social awkwardness and her slightly flushed appearance, Leone gave her guess. "Akame, you can get hot and bothered about that mystery guy from your childhood later. Like I might considering that cute little bumpkin I ran into earlier." Akame's mind snapped back from the spiral of questions it had been trapped in at the mention of the blonde's encounter with Tatsumi and her lewd suggestion. She shook her head, trying to keep the image of Leone pinning Tatsumi out of her mind.

"One of the guards is turning this way." Mien warned, the man's head in her crosshairs.

"Drop him then." Kurome replied, pulling Yatsufusa from its sheath.

"The moment I do that, the whole mansion knows we're here. I'm not doing it unless everyone's ready." Mien's eyes flicked over to Akame, who had yet to draw Murasame.

Realizing that she was holding everyone up, Akame felt her cheeks tinge pink while she pulled her sword free. She set her expression to neutral, knowing it was what they would be expecting her to do.

She cleared her mind, setting aside all her questions for the sake of the mission. Now ready to strike against the evils before her, Akame whispered her single word, "Eliminate."

* * *

Mien opened fire at Akame's order, dropping the first guard while everyone else dropped from the wires Lubbock was manipulating. As more guards circled to their position from the sound of the gunshot, Leone and Sheele broke into the mansion through a nearby window, focused on their targets: the two nobles who owned this mansion of lies.

No less than a dozen guards poured out of other doorways or from the sides of the mansion, desperate to protect the nobles and by extension themselves. Akame waited while everyone took positions around her, seeming to wait on her orders. Even Mien hadn't fired another shot from Pumpkin, raising more questions in Akame's mind before she squashed them.

"Kurome, Bulat." Akame felt them pick targets amongst the assembled guardsmen at the sound of their names. "Take them. Mien will kill any that try to flee. I'm going to circle around the mansion to ensure that the final target doesn't escape."

Her orders were met by Kurome's charge at the guards, followed closely by Bulat's spear. Smiling internally, Akame took off in the direction of the nearby storehouse, her path to it emblazoned in her memory while the sounds of slaughter chased her.

Akame moved towards the back the mansion, remembering how she had chased the daughter to the torture storehouse only to meet the unexpected guest that was Tatsumi.

Her new reality didn't fail her as she walked into the clearing around the storehouse, catching sight of three figures: Aria, the noble's daughter; the last surviving guard, soon to be slain by her; and Tatsumi, whose back was facing her. She paused, waiting for Tatsumi to turn and face her like he had the first time they had met.

Instead of seeing his eyes filling with righteous fury, Akame saw recognition and sadness dull the light in his eyes instead. "Akame?" Her name asked as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The change from her memories stunned Akame momentarily, her mind begging for clues as to what had changed.

"Akame?" Tatsumi questioned again, taking a hesitant step towards her while the guard and Aria edged closer to the storehouse's door. "It's me, Tatsumi. Please tell me you remember who I am. Please." Tatsumi's pleading strained his voice, as though he was fighting back tears. "If it's really you, just leave. Don't make me fight you." His hand was already wrapped around his sword's pommel, the threat of violence evident.

Akame knew she had to act, and her only choice was to make her way around Tatsumi and show him how wrong he was. Again. She couldn't stop a slight wince from the idea of crushing Tatsumi's world again when it crossed her face, but luckily Tatsumi seemed to take it as a sign of her confusion. He stepped forward again, relaxing his grip on his sword and extending his other hand in a gesture of friendship.

Akame used that motion to steel her resolve, dashing forward with sword drawn. She jumped in the moment that Tatsumi blinked, her feet finding traction against the back of his head before pushing off. She felt nothing for a moment, before an iron-clad grip closed around her foot, pulling her off her course and sending her back towards the ground with few options.

She rolled on her landing, raising her sword to meet the expected blow from Tatsumi. Her instincts didn't fail her as his shortsword bounced off her block, sending all of its force back into Tatsumi's arm. She rose to her feet, charging again at the guard and Aria.

"Dammit!" She heard Tatsumi curse behind her. Whether it was directed at her for blocking or himself for failing to realize the danger, she wasn't sure.

The guard shot at her, his machinegun spewing bullets at her at speeds too slow to have a hope of catching her. She didn't hesitate once she closed the gap, slicing through the man's torso with a single blow. She stepped towards Aria, making the girl back away in fear. She raised her sword to strike, acutely aware of the fact that Tatsumi would interrupt her attempted kill.

"Akame!" He shouted as her swing was countered by his own, even managing to slice the tip off of her tie with his blade's second edge. She slid away from Tatsumi, who now stood in a defensive position over the girl. She watched the piece of cloth flutter to the ground between them, something she hadn't been prepared for.

 _Was he this good the first time I met him?_ She questioned herself, uncertain of whether Tatsumi could actually be a threat to her.

"Tatsumi, you're not a target. If you step away, I won't have to kill you." She stated, her voice in business-monotone. She fought against her feelings, suppressing them with the fact that Tatsumi wasn't going to trust her blindly now that she had attacked him.

"Dammit Akame! I thought you were dead all these years and that's what you say to me?" Tatsumi's half-enraged, half-exasperated question threw Akame for a loop, but she recovered quickly when Tatsumi pointed his sword at her, before continuing, "But you're going to kill her no matter what, right?"

"Yep." She replied blankly, waiting to see Tatsumi's flustered response.

"Then I'm not going to let you do that." He resolutely replied, his determination-filled green eyes meeting her shocked red eyes. _When did Tatsumi get so confidant?_ She felt a gentle warmth settle in her chest at the realization that Tatsumi was still the innocent hero of justice that he had been when they had first met.

"You wonderful, stupid idiot." Akame whispered to herself, before raising her voice so he could hear her, "Then you'll have to die too."

"Bring it." Was his reply, unafraid of facing her. Akame couldn't stop a shiver from passing through her. But she couldn't tell if it was from the excitement of the promised fight or something more base. She didn't let the thought slow her as she launched herself at Tatsumi, who eagerly met her with a charge of his own.

* * *

Kurome and Leone walked towards the storehouse, wondering what was slowing down their unstoppable leader Akame. When they reached the clearing, they caught sight of Akame's back to them facing Aria and a certain country boy that they were both familiar with.

"It's him." Kurome muttered in shock, then looked at Leone when she heard the sound of the blonde's paw meeting her head.

"That boy is the unluckiest person I've ever met." The transformed assassin proclaimed, waiting to see what was about to unfold. Though Kurome had her own thoughts on the matter.

* * *

Akame was pleasantly surprised as Tatsumi forced her back yet again, not giving her any ground to get closer to her target. She charged in again, her blade sweeping low in an attempt to make him jump back and away from Aria. Instead, he placed the flat of his blade against the side of his leg and kicked outward, knocking away Murasame's deadly edge and leaving her wide open to his counterattack. He threw a punch with his opposite hand, only for Akame to reach out and grab his forearm, pulling him across her body in a heavy takedown. Tatsumi landed flat on his back, the breath knocked out of his lungs audible in the silent night air.

"Sorry." She told him, bringing Murasame down in what would have been a fatal blow. Had she not aimed for the idol that she knew was inside his shirt. She felt the lack of direct flesh contact, heaving an internal sigh of relief that she hadn't just killed him for real before straightening up and fixing her gaze on Aria. She skirted Tatsumi's prone form while Aria whimpered, noticing how he slowly reclaimed his grip on his sword's handle.

She knew she needed to drag this out a little longer, praying that this reality's Leone would hurry up so she wouldn't actually have to risk killing him.

He rose to his feet quickly, forcing Akame to return her attention to him.

"Is that all you've got?" Tatsumi's annoyed tone told her he was still in this fight. "The monk hit me harder for disturbing his meditations!" He pulled the idol that had saved his life out of his shirt, holding it in his opposite hand. "And it looks like his lessons saved my life."

"If you had stayed on the ground, I wouldn't have to do this." Akame told him, closing the gap between them while swinging her sword at the side holding the idol. She knew that he wouldn't be able to block it in time, offering up a silent prayer that Leone would do her part.

* * *

Steel met steel and Teigu met Teigu as Kurome blocked Akame's attack, taking up a spot right in front of Tatsumi while Akame felt a large furry hand pull on her collar.

"What are you doing?!" The other two female assassins demanded of her, while Tatsumi couldn't stop the shock of their arrival from crossing his face.

"Kurome? Boob-lady who stole all my money?" Tatsumi dropped his sword and idol, grabbing the sides of his head to fend off a newfound migraine. "This can't actually be happening. I have to be dreaming if this is supposed to make sense."

Kurome turned to face Tatsumi, sheathing Yatsufusa and giving him a genuinely happy smile. "Don't worry Tatsu-nii. Onee-chan wasn't really going to kill you."

Leone looked from Akame to Kurome to Tatsumi then back to Kurome, confused as to how this guy seemed to know the youngest assassin present. "Can I get an explanation?"

"Remember the mystery boy that we always mention?" Kurome shot a glance over her shoulder to Leone, who nodded her understanding. It made sense to her when Leone had context.

"Just to be clear, I called dibs on him when I saw him yesterday." The blonde declared, letting go of Akame. Akame bit the inside of her cheek to stop the hot blush and equally fiery response she wanted to give the blonde for her insinuations.

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to look back and forth between the three assembled girls in front of him.

"What in the fucking hell is going on here?" He cursed loudly, massaging his temples as he tried to process everything he was seeing. He was too tired for all of these complex problems that were presenting themselves to him.

"You think that you're defending some innocent girl, right?" Leone inquired of him, to which he nodded. "Well take a look in that storehouse and tell me if that's what you think afterwards."

Tatsumi turned to the storehouse, catching sight of Aria who stood shivering and rooted to the same spot she had been since her guard had been killed mere minutes ago.

* * *

It took a single kick from Leone to break the doors open, letting noxious fumes assault Tatsumi's nose while his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the storehouse.

"Look upon their sins and tell me if they're innocent, Tatsumi." The blonde requested, her own night vision letting her know what he was about to see.

Corpses were strewn in dozens of torture devices and piles, each one horrifically twisted by the agonies of their deaths. Blank, dead eyes met Tatsumi's lively verdant greens, accusing him of protecting someone who deserved the hell they had been put through.

"They lure in people like you from the countryside, treating their lives like toys until they die." She explained, smelling the anxiety and rage on each of his gasped breaths. "That's what this family does."

"Sayo!" Tatsumi screamed out, his eyes on the body of girl his age hanging suspended from the rafters. "Sayo, I'm right here, so talk to me. Talk to me, please. Sayo, say something. Anything!"

"So you knew her?" Leone leaned against the doorframe, catching the halting steps taken by Aria out of the corner of her eye. But Akame and Kurome moved first, the assassin sisters cutting off any avenue of escape for her.

"Don't you think it's a little rude to try and leave when your guest is over there?" Kurome pointed in Tatsumi's direction with her sword, a saccharine sweet smile on her face. Aria looked at Akame, whose normally neutral expression now bore hate-filled eyes. The noble girl flinched backwards at the glare she was receiving, instinctively retreating back towards the storehouse and away from the two killers.

"You said that the family that lived here did this?" Tatsumi's voice was low, deadly with its accusations.

"Yep." Leone replied, a hand lazily motioning to Aria's back. "And the guards were just as guilty for not speaking out against it."

"She's right."

The confession turned everyone's heads to Aria, who had collapsed to her knees mere feet from the storehouse's open doors.

"But I couldn't stop it." She continued, "My parents had me monitored so I couldn't tell anyone. If I would have tried, they would have killed me. Believe me, please Tatsumi. I stopped them from poisoning your tea yesterday and today. I tried to save you."

"Tatsumi…" A weak male voice reached the five gathered at the entrance of the storehouse, making Tatsumi's head whip to the origin point of the familiar voice."Is that really you… Tatsumi? It's me." A withered and disease-covered hand reached out towards him from the corner cage, recognition dawning on Tatsumi's face.

"Ieyasu?" He questioned, barely able to match the worn and sickly person in front of him with the memory of his other traveling companion.

"She's the one who invited me and Sayo to stay with her. We ate and then passed out… and we woke up in this hellhole. That girl… she tortured Sayo to death!" Ieyasu's thin voice crescendoed with the revelation of what happened. Utterly broken, Ieyasu slid down the bars of his cage, sobs he'd held back for so long now shaking his entire body.

"W-w-w-what's so wrong with that?" Aria mumbled, rising to her feet robotically. "You're nothing but ignorant hicks from the country who don't know anything. You might as well be cattle for us to do what we please with." She pulled her face to her chest clenching and unclenching her muscles to fight her body's sudden spasms.

"Horrible sadists pretending to be Good Samaritans to lure in prey. Sorry for the wait," Leone apologized to the sisters who eagerly turned their swords towards Aria.

"Stop." Tatsumi's command was softly spoken, but weighed enough to make all three assassins pause and look at him.

"Are you really about to…" Leone started to question him, only to feel her words die on her tongue under the glare Tatsumi leveled at her. Akame and Kurome looked at him, amazed the level of killing intent they felt radiating off of him.

"No." He grabbed his sword from the ground, flicking it clean of any dust it had picked up. "She's my kill." He exclaimed, his sword tearing open her chest with ease. Aria's blood flew skyward, tracing Tatsumi's follow through and raining back down on the dead girl. Tatsumi didn't even realize that he was smiling, a dark promise of his affinity for violence.

"Without even hesitating." Kurome whispered, her words reaching Akame and Leone as they thought the same thing. Tatsumi gave his blade another flick, cleaning off the blood that coated it with a single fluid motion.

"Way to go Tatsumi! That felt great even from here." Ieyasu's voice reached them from the storehouse, reminding them that he was still alive. A wet and heavy cough forced Tatsumi to turn back in the direction of the storehouse, making him realize that he'd forgotten about Ieyasu's terrible state in his moment of bloodlust. He ripped the cage open like a man possessed, cradling his friend's unnaturally light body before stretching him out at the entrance to the storehouse.

"Stay with me Ieyasu! We've been through worse at home!" Tatsumi clasped his friend's hand, willing him to live on. Ieyasu's small coughs tinged his lips with blood, making Tatsumi fret even more.

"Rubola's final stage." Akame explained to Tatsumi, stepping into the storehouse to try ease his pain. "The mother loved to drug up her victims and write down their slow deaths. There's nothing that can save him."

"Tatsumi…" the name was barely audible, but they still reached their intended target.

"Ieyasu. You can't leave. Everyone I've ever cared for left me at some point, but I found you guys. I found them. Here, now. You can't leave again. You just can't." Tatsumi's eyes were closed, but failed to stop the stream of tears that ran down his face.

Akame could feel his heart breaking, and despite her normally strong composure, she could feel a tear threatening to slip from her eye. A quick glance at Kurome showed her that the younger girl wasn't able to watch Tatsumi's suffering either, her own eyes brimming with tears that marked the death of innocence. He helped his friend sit up slightly, easing his laboured breathing.

"Sayo never let that bitch win. She never gave in, Tastumi. She was cool to the very end." Ieyasu reached upwards, his eyes fixed on something only he could see. "So Master Ieyasu needs a cool end too. Don't let him go like we did." When Ieyasu's final words slipped by his lips, he gave a small shudder and went limp in Tatsumi's arms.

"He kept himself alive with will alone." Akame observed, saddened to see someone that could have been a true hero die such a wretched death. Tasumi wordlessly pulled his friend's body close, shoulders heaving under the force of his restrained sobs.

"Is this happening everywhere in the capital?" Tatsumi questioned, his tear-reddened eyes finding Akame and Kurome. "Is this what you're trying to stop?"

"We need to go." Akame pointed out while dodging the question, turning and starting to walk away so no one could see the tear that finally managed to escape.

"What about him?" Leone pointed to Tatsumi, who still sat on the floor of the storehouse cradling Ieyasu's body.

Akame paused, considering her next words before replying, "I said 'we' didn't I?" Kurome started after her sister, and Leone understood what the red-eyed girl meant. She grabbed Tatsumi's collar, dragging him after them. He took a moment to start a complaint before he got his feet under himself, and ducked out of his yellow sweater. Leone barely time to react as he pulled his sword out of the cloth now tangled in her hand. She turned back to face him, more than ready to hunt him down if he ran.

"I was going to ask to come along anyways." He declared, making Akame and Kurome stop and turn back to him. He fixed the sister's with a warm but determined look in his green eyes. "I made a promise that I wouldn't leave you two again if I ever found you."

Akame felt warmth bloom in her chest and even a little across her cheeks at his declaration. Kurome responded to it with a smile and an adorable head tilt, glad to have back another person she cared about.

Leone snorted at the mushy sentiment her three companions were expressing. "Save your sappy reunion for the secret base. And don't worry about your friends. I'll make sure we take them back and give 'em a decent burial too."

"We're already late as it is, let's not piss Mien off more than we need to." Akame reminded them, hurrying back to their planned meeting place.

The other three shared a quick look before sprinting after her, not wanting to be the last one there.

* * *

"You're late! What the hell took you so long? And who's that?" Mien pointed an accusatory finger at Tatsumi, who was trying to recover his breath next to Leone after arriving last at the top of the building that Night Raid was using to regroup.

"Akame's boyfriend." Leone shared with a grin, making Akame blush and look away from the blonde while Tatsumi straightened up so fast that they could nearly hear his spine snap into place.

"He's/ I'm not!" They denied, making everyone else sweatdrop in awkwardness at their synchronization.

"Then I'll take him!" Leone declared, grabbing Tatsumi and pulling his head into her chest to get a reaction out of the two of them.

Tatsumi flailed wildly, unsure of how to respond to this attack while Akame quickly chopped Leone on the top of her head. Hard. The blonde was knocked out by the unexpected blow, and fell on top of Tatsumi, pinning him underneath her with his face still trapped in her chest.

"Lucky bastard." Lubbock muttered as Akame kicked Leone to roll her off of Tatsumi. He ignored the harsh looks he received from Kurome and Mien for his comment. Tatsumi gasped for air while he sat up, mentally questioning his decision to follow them. He started to mutter curses on everyone and everything he could see and think of at the moment. Leone for stealing his money. Akame for knocking her out. Kurome for still wearing a sailor suit at her age instead of something less jailbaity. Himself for falling for Aria's plan. Leone for having such a large chest. Mien for having a washboard chest to match her childish stature.

"Bulat, please shut him up." Mien requested, a vein in her forehead pulsing at the insult she had just suffered.

"Gotcha." The armor-clad assassin stepped up, quickly knocking Tatsumi out and throwing him over one shoulder and Leone over the other. He didn't want to deal with Mien's foul mood, so he was just going to carry them back while keeping as low of a profile as he could, considering.

"You guys go ahead. Kurome and I gotta do our part now. We'll be there tomorrow morning." Lubbock told them, pointing to a ring of torches that were approaching the mansion.

"Understood." Akame answered, though she truly didn't. She looked at the two remaining conscious members of the group, who began to make their way back to base with a jump aided by Lubbock's threads.

 _What in the world has changed so much?_ Akame let herself ponder as her body automatically returned to base.

* * *

 _Back at the storehouse…_

A cloaked figure entered the clearing, its face and body hidden under the red fabric. It walked quickly to the storehouse's broken front and the two bodies near it.

"Time waits for no man, supposedly." a male voice uttered from the shadows of the hood. "They sure are right about that."

* * *

"Imperial Police, who are you?" A gruff man in armour asked Kurome and Lubbock, holding his torch up to get a better look at them. Kurome and Lubbock exchanged a look at the stupidity of the question, but they had to keep their cover story going.

"You realize who she is, right?" Lubbock stepped into the torchlight, letting the guardsmen get a good look at him. Gone were his Cross Tail gloves and his green jacket. Instead, he wore a closed, gray greatcoat with a rifle slung over his back and his goggles over his eyes. "I mean, she is the one assigned to hunt down Night Raid."

Kurome stepped forward, giving the collected guards a smile that made their blood freeze in their veins when her teeth caught the torchlight. They flinched as she pulled out her snack bag and devoured a cookie in the time it took them to blink.

"So sorry to interrupt your investigation Lady Kurome!" The man bowed, and the other quickly followed suit. Kurome rolled her eyes at the pitiful sight of so many grown men groveling.

"Don't worry about it." She replied giving them a slightly more sincere smile, "if it hadn't been for your response, I wouldn't have actually picked up on their trail for at least three more hours."

"Thank you for your kindness!" The lead guard declared, returning to his at-attention position. "What would you like us to do for you?"

"Body count, Kill type, and a full sweep for any trace of them." Lubbock gave the order, but the men didn't hesitate to follow. The rumors about Kurome's partner and handler were nearly as terrifying as the one's about the only survivor of the Empire's Assassination program.

Once dispersed away from Lubbock and Kurome, the older assassin relaxed.

"It's so much easier to make a report when we can have the Empire do half the work for us."

"Still too busy trying to look cool to do real work?" She quipped right back through a mouthful of sweets.

"Tch." _Every. Damn. Time._ Every time he did anything, she teased and insulted him for it. _Why am I her verbal punching bag?_

"Sir, all the bodies have been counted and along with their cause of death." A guard reported to Lubbock, a grimace on his face. "Except for the daughter's."

Lubbock stared at the man from behind his goggles, letting the guard guess what questions he was about to ask.

"From what we can tell, something must have moved it, we have a large pool of blood and a slight trail that looks like an animal might have dragged it down. We're searching as fast as we can."

"Fine. Let me know the outcome." Lubbock replied, faking his best annoyed bureaucrat face. The guard scurried away, eager to leave the presence of him and his partner.

Alone again, Lubbock turned to Kurome, questions ready to fly.

"I thought you four killed her!"

"We did. I saw the kill with my own eyes." Kurome chewed a cookie thoughtfully before adding, "I'm certain she was dead."

"Then how do you explain the missing body? No scavengers could have found a body that quickly and dragged it that far away."

"Isn't having useless knowledge like that your job?"

Lubbock facepalmed, questioning why he put up with Kurome as his partner on assignments. She always made him feel like he was babysitting, on top of all the insults she gave him. _At least it isn't Leone,_ he thought to himself knowing how much of a distraction the blonde and her.. giant…. boobs... would be he could never get anything done that wasn't staring at them. _Damnit, now I can't stop thinking about them._

"Pervert."

 _When the fuck did she develop telepathy?_

* * *

 **Hey everyone, let's establish a few things: This is Time Travel AU centered on Akame. Akame has no knowledge of the new timeline. Tatsumi isn't some lucky idiot they met. And Kurome is actually on Night Raid's side? Boy this timeline is strange. There is an OC and he will be playing a big part in this story as it crashes and burns the canon storyline. Sorry to anyone who was expecting something else.**

 **Also, a shout-out to my beta reader Iamyandere4ever for the help.**

 **Anyways, please review and follow so you know that I know you actually read this.**


	2. Kill the Initiation

**Thanks to Iamyadere4ever for beta'ing this. And disclaimer: I don't own Akame ga Kill or its characters. The only thing I own is creepy Tsu, as a guest put it.**

* * *

Akame, Mien, and Bulat landed near the entrance to Night Raid's hideout, relaxed after the turmoil of the previous few hours. The three assassins shared a quiet moment before one of them decided to break it.

Bulat shifted his unconscious passengers on his shoulders, trying to stretch his sore muscles. "Uh, so what should I do with them?" He asked Akame, uncertain what they were going to do about their newest recruit.

The red-eyed girl looked at the Incursio user with slight confusion, still unused to everyone looking to her for orders. "Put Leone in her room and Tatsumi in one of the spare ones. He's not going to wake up after everything that happened today."

"Got it." Shifting Tatsumi so he could ease the three of them through the door, Bulat made his way inside. Leaving Akame with a very annoyed Mien.

Looking over her shoulder to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, the pink sniper turned back to face Akame. "I want an explanation."

"Explanation?" Frankly, Akame wanted one herself as to why everything was different but she couldn't exactly bring that up since it would raise questions. Questions about why she didn't remember. Questions about the future. Questions she didn't want to answer, much less think about herself.

"Why are we bringing back this 'Tatsumi' guy? Do you really know him?" Mien stepped closer to her friend, trying to keep herself in check. She knew enough of Akame's history to know that the boy could only spell trouble for the red-eyed killer.

"Because he's my friend. One I thought I lost." Akame replied defensively, going off of the hints that she had been given by her sister and Tatsumi himself. "And he's important to me." She averted her eyes from Mien's, feeling guilty as she remembered the relationship that the pink sniper had had with Tatsumi in the future. _One that no longer existed. The very type of relationship she wanted with Tatsumi, even if it hurt her friend._

Mien searched Akame's face for a clue as to why she was dodging the question, but soon became distracted from her hunt by a seemingly impossible sight. "Akame, what happened to your tie?" Mien held up the accessory in question, staring at the uneven cut.

Akame looked at it herself, remembering her own shock at the damage to her clothes. "Tatsumi managed to cut it when we clashed." She stated, reaching up to finger the cut fabric.

Mien stepped back, understandably shocked that anyone could have gotten that close to actually hurting the supposedly unstoppable killer that was Akame. "You mean you let him cut it, right? No way is that hick skilled enough to actually do that."

"He's not just some hick!" Akame couldn't stop her outburst at Mien's cold dismissal of Tatsumi. She knew it was the pinkette's natural defense after the unfair treatment she received from everybody before she joined Night Raid, but she still didn't like it. "He was fast enough to actually make our fight a challenge. And before you even consider thinking about it; no, I didn't use discretion because I knew him. I didn't hesitate to try to kill him when he tried to interfere."

Mien gasped at Akame's emotional outburst. She couldn't believe that this Tatsumi person could elicit so much emotion from someone as emotionally stunted as the red-eyed assassin. _Just what is your connection to her, Tatsumi?_ She questioned in her mind, determined to protect her friend from whatever inevitable trouble would come because of him.

"Uhm, I don't want to intrude on your girl-talk, but…" Bulat reappeared at the door of the hideout, now dressed normally with his big pompadour freed from his armor. "But do either of you know where Sheele is?"

Mien jumped and blushed, realizing she was supposed to be the one making sure the airhead didn't get lost on team missions. "I'll go find her!" She immediately shouted, making Bulat snicker at her embarrassment. "But don't think this talk is over," she said quietly enough for only Akame to hear.

Without anything left to say, the pink-clad sniper raced off in search of her friend, leaving Akame awkwardly standing outside the base with an amused Bulat waiting at the door.

* * *

Lubbock started to panic when he awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. He managed to suppress the urge to jump and run by remembering where he currently was: An Imperial barracks room that he and Kurome had been assigned when they returned to the Capitol to "continue their investigation" into the whereabouts of Night Raid. Something he could never get used to.

Ever since Kurome's defection, he had been assigned to be her protector when she returned to the Capitol to keep them off of Night Raid's trail. He shook his head with disgust at the thought of how she had been addicted to their experimental drugs and was always at the mercy of them to not die to it. Thankfully, Najenda's contacts had found someone that could possibly cure the poor girl. He couldn't wait for her vice to be lifted.

On that thought, Lubbock sat up in his assigned bunk and looked for the black-themed assassin. He found her in a separate bed, covers kicked off while she shivered under her sweat-drenched sailor suit.

"Shit!" Lubbock cursed, surging out of the bed to get to her side. She moaned in pain, curling against the convulsions of her own body. "You're supposed to tell me when you're getting low on those damned drugs."

Kurome opened one of her eyes, fixing him with a weak but malicious glare. "I didn't."

Lubbock realized what she was saying, and reached into the Kurome's snack pouch that sat on the floor near her bed. He knew if this was any other time he would lose his hand for this, but he would worry about her being offended by it later. He felt his fingers close around one of the capsules that she kept hidden amongst her sweets.

"Here," He told her, placing the capsule into her mouth with an unusual gentleness that resulted in his fingers getting bitten when her jaw convulsed. "Fuck!" She had actually drawn blood, something that had never happened when he had to do it before. He cradled his bitten hand in his other, angry that she had managed to break skin for the first time.

"Not on your life." Kurome weakly fired back at his curse, letting the poison that her body craved take effect. Eventually the pain and muscle spasms started to slow and then fade entirely. Once they had, Kurome sat up and looked at Lubbock without the haze of pain across her eyes.

"Pervert! Put on some goddamned clothes!" She shrieked at him, reaching for her weapon where it leaned against the wall nearby. She swiped at him with Yatsufusa, which was thankfully still sheathed. Lubbock barely managed to dodge, then looked at himself. He was only wearing his gray boxers since he didn't have an actual change of clothes.

"I did this to myself." He mumbled, dodging Kurome's ranged pillow assault to follow up her sword attack. _Why is it always me?_

* * *

 _Outside the Capitol…_

Two figures in red cloaks with their hoods up made their way down the dirt road, following it towards their destination beyond the forest they were in. One stood slightly taller than the other, with airy white hair that trailed out of the hood, barely clearing the cloth. The other figure had blonde hair that reached her chest, curling around her modestly sized breasts.

Something made the white-haired figure pause, which made the blonde stop as well. A slight rustling sound grew and was replaced by the sound of heavy boots pounding the ground. At some unseen signal, a group of eight bandits jumped out of the trees, surrounding the pair. One of the larger bandits wore a wolf mask, while the others drew swords from a variety of sheaths. The wolf masked bandit circled to the front of the travelers, declaring himself their leader.

"Well, well. Looks like we got us a pair of lovers on the run." The wolf-masked leader informed his men. The jest was met by light chuckles, poking fun at the unfortunate travelers caught in their trap.

"We're not lovers. She's my acolyte." The white haired figure mentioned calmly, revealing himself to be a male. He reached up and pushed back his hood, letting his mother-of-pearl white eyes and hair shimmer in the rising sun. His unusually colored features and seeming apathy towards the situation confused the bandits. But their leader didn't let it get to him, suspecting the boy was putting on a performance to try and appear tough for the girl next to him.

"Well how about that?" The leader leered at the unfazed boy and girl. "Maybe we'll let you go if you just hand over all your money and your 'acolyte'. What do you say to that?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, a look of bemusement on his face. "Do you know the name Tsu, by any chance?"

The bandits all shared a look of confusion before their leader snapped at them. "You idiots, he's just trying to distract us."

"Melody, could you please kill these idiots? We don't really have time for this. There is someone expecting us." Tsu requested of his traveling companion. The bandits turned their focus on the girl next to him, wondering what she could possibly do.

"Of course. I could already sense their sins anyways." She replied, pushing the cloak behind her arms to reveal the high necked, pale blue tunic and crimson leggings she wore. Her calf-length brown leather boots were stained with dried blood, ranging in age from old to unusually fresh.

Before the bandits could consider her words, an unnatural chill swept over them as the sunlight dimmed. They shivered uncontrollably, then jumped as an unholy shrieking tore through the air.

"What the hell is going on?" One of the bandits questioned, panic evident on his face.

"It's the damned girl! Kill her!" Their leader ordered, only for his command to be met with cries of agony. He took his eyes off of his supposed victims to see what was happening. He felt his eyes bulge at the atrocities in front of him.

Rotting and skeletal limbs had dragged his men to the ground, and in some cases, started to pull them under. The fingers were tearing into their flesh, ripping out chunks and gouging open veins and arteries as they tried to steal the life from their now exposed bones. Feeling dread at the realization that he had picked the wrong targets, the leader started to scurry back, ready to flee for his life. Or at least, he tried to. Bony hands had tangled themselves around his calves and feet, immobilizing him as Tsu walked towards him. The boy looked bored at the display of horrific power as the dead limbs started to drag the leader down, first to his knees, then to his back. He could feel the bones scrabbling for purchase on his skin, stripping away the layers of flesh that were supposed to protect him.

"Your sins have seen you judged. Enjoy your death and suffering in Hell." Tsu told him with a flippant air, as if he had suggested they go on a walk around town.

"What… what are you two?" The leader begged, his lower body already sinking into the earth. Blood poured from cuts that had been torn into his arms by the fingernails of the dead.

"We are two that simply shouldn't be." Melody replied to the man, then watched as his head sank into the ground. Tsu looked around, and then realized that all the bandits had been taken out and buried. The only sign that there had been anyone else were some splashes of bloody mud.

"Good work. Has it become any looser?" He questioned his traveling companion before pulling his hood back up.

"A little." Came the sheepish reply she gave him, letting her own cloak return to its spot hiding her clothing.

"I guess we all atone in our own ways."

* * *

Akame had waited as long as she could for Tatsumi to wake up, only to lose out to her hunger before he even showed a sign of stirring. After ordering Leone to bring Tatsumi to her when he woke up, she went out to find something to eat.

She quickly decided she was in the mood for evil-bird, and quickly remembered where she had spotted one nesting. It wouldn't take her long before she could be enjoying its deliciously roasted flesh.

* * *

"Thanks again!" Kurome said with forced cheer as she left the Imperial barracks, watching as the gate guards paled and saluted at her passing. She set out to meet up at the spot Lubbock had told her he would be at after she finished her business, soon getting lost in the crowds.

"Finally." Lubbock said, catching sight of his diminutive partner in the crowds of the Capitol's streets.

"Well sorry for being such a bother." She replied sarcastically, looking at him with an annoyed expression. "And… thanks… for earlier."

Lubbock quickly checked the crowds around him for any suspicious people. Failing to find any, he reached up to make sure his ears were actually attached to his head. Kurome looked at him with interest, wondering if he had finally been driven crazy by his repressed perverted desires.

"What are you doing?" She asked, giving some chance of redeeming himself with a believable lie.

"Just making sure I heard you right. You've never thanked me in the entire time I've known you." Lubbock admitted, still uncertain that he wasn't just having a dream while lying unconscious in the barracks after Kurome had kicked his ass for what had happened first thing in the morning.

"You may be a lazy, know-it-all pervert," Lubbock clicked his tongue at the dig. "But you are occasionally useful."

Lubbock turned and started to walk, knowing that Kurome would follow. "So I shouldn't get my hopes up that this is you finally deciding to be nice to me."

Kurome rolled her eyes at the comment, but still dignified it with a response, "Maybe when you stop thinking about the fact that you're going to miss out on Leone's bath time." His sudden flinch told her she had hit the nail right on the head.

* * *

Tatsumi groaned and opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar and sparse room. _Probably an inn's room,_ he thought of as an explanation for his unfamiliar surroundings. He focused his eyes on the ceiling as he tried to piece together the disturbing dream he had suffered during the night.

 _It seemed so real,_ he thought, stretching his arms upwards in an attempt to stop their aching. A flash of red caught his eye, and when he turned his attention to it he recognized it immediately. Dried blood was caked on his fingernails and in the gaps between his fingers. Sayo and Ieyasu's blood.

"Guess it wasn't a dream." He told himself, a wide mixture of emotions competing for his attention. But they were all shut out by a growl from his stomach. Looking out the window of the room, He realized it was already afternoon. "If that old fart found out I slept half the day away, he'd kick my ass." _Assuming he's still alive._ Tatsumi's darker emotions whispered the suggestion to him.

Standing up and quickly stretching to relieve the fatigue still hanging in his bones, Tatsumi realized that he was probably in the assassin's hideout. Which meant there was probably a kitchen somewhere. "I'll just find some food for myself and maybe check this place out."

* * *

"Oi, Akame. Planning to share that?" Najenda's voice made the red-eyed girl turn away from her roasting evil-bird to look at her boss on the other side of the small pebble strewn creek that ran by her cooking fire.

"If the Boss is asking, I guess I am." She replied, slightly nonplussed by the fact that she would have to share meat, but it wasn't like she could eat the whole thing herself. At least not without a workout somewhere along the way.

Making her way over to Akame's impromptu campsite, Najenda found herself a seat on a log nearby, and took a piece of meat offered by Akame.

"So, how did the mission go? Any problems?" The boss asked, deciding she wanted to hear the juicy details from Akame rather than one of Lubbock's reports. She liked the information specialist, but he couldn't tell a story with a library of books at his fingertips.

"Well fine. Great, even. We found a potential recruit. He shows enough promise to actually give me a challenge." Akame explained between bites, doing her best not to let thoughts of Tatsumi blank out her recollection of the previous night.

Najenda's remaining eye widened at the surprising admission from her best assassin. "Wow, must be a seasoned veteran to give you trouble. Big name turned defector or more of a mercenary type?"

"Well he's actually…" Akame's attempt to make Najenda understand was interrupted by an inordinate amount of noise from the other side of the creek. Suspecting it was some kind of beast, Akame drew her sword and turned to face the direction of the incoming attack.

"Wait, Akame that's-," Najenda's instructions were cut off by someone else's shout.

"Jeez, Najenda. If you're going to lead us to your base, make sure we can actually follow you." A familiar voice complained as a red-cloaked figure stepped out of the brush, closely followed by a slightly shorter female figure clad in a similar cloak. Akame didn't know what she was supposed to do in this situation, and decided she was going to keep Murasame pointed at the strangers in front of her. Even if she had a sneaking suspicion of the identity of one of them.

"It's that specialist I told you about. The one that can cure Kurome, Akame." Najenda explained, walking over to the red-eyed assassin and casually pushing the sword away from her guests.

"Akame?" The taller figure questioned, pushing back its hood to reveal pale white hair and eyes that were all too familiar to her. "Damn, I never thought… I hoped…"

"Tsu. What are you doing here?"

* * *

Mien looked up from her fashion magazine, and turned to the only other occupant of the room. "Leone, do you feel like we missed something?"

The blonde rolled over on the couch she had been lazing on to look at the pink-haired girl. "Don't know. But I think I should check on the newbie. It isn't healthy to sleep all day." With that, she stood up and made her way down a hallway to the spare room he had been dumped in. She opened the door, ready to jump on her prey. Only to find no one in the room.

"What the hell? Where did he go?" Leone activated Lionelle, trying to catch a whiff of the boy's scent to track him. "Mien, we've got a runner!"

* * *

Tatsumi hummed as he put the finishing touches on his stew, before serving himself a bowl and walking out the door of the kitchen, looking for a place outside to enjoy his meal. He wandered for a bit, before coming across a creek.

Spotting a campfire further down, he set out for it in hopes of good company to talk with. He wanted answers to fill his head after he finished filling his stomach.

* * *

"So you two know each other?" Najenda looked back and forth between Akame and Tsu, prepared for anything from a duel to the death to a wild makeout scene. Her expectations were rather crushed by the specialist's response.

"Yeah," Tsu sighed his answer, a look of sadness making him look like a kicked puppy. "A little over a decade ago I brought down a group of slavers dealing in children. Little did I know that the kids I rescued were being bought by the Empire's elite Assassination Program. They hounded us for months, killing off almost all of the children in the first week since they weren't exactly ready for the extremes of surviving the chase. Eventually it was down to a boy, a girl with red eyes, and her black-eyed little sister. We were fine for until they caught up to us. They managed to trap us in a ravine. When the moment came, I took the boy and fled. I left those two girls behind because I believed that they would be strong enough to survive until I could go and rescue them. I'll let you put the rest of it together." He sat on the gravel, suddenly looking as weary as if he hadn't slept since that day. "And here I am facing the ghosts of my past. So your name's Akame? Would've helped the search had you ever told me that."

The red-eyed girl looked at the boy in front of her, not able to reconcile the memory of the powerful Tsu that had sent her back in time with the pathetic looking boy sitting in front of her. "Wait, a decade ago? Wouldn't you have also been a kid then?"

A bit of light found its way into Tsu's eyes, his mouth twitching into a mirth-filled smile. "How old do you think I am, kiddo?"

"Boyish twenties." Najenda hazarded as her guess. She knew better than to just assume that someone actually looked their age.

"Barely 17." Akame replied. She had figured that he had been younger than her in the future, so it had to be true in the past as well.

"You're missing about a millennium there. To be exact, I'm 1032 years old." He smiled at them, quietly laughing at their shocked expressions. "Bet you weren't expecting that."

"You old son of a bitch!" A different voice hollered out, full of resentment.

* * *

Sheele looked up from her book, surprised to see Bulat wasn't outside training but rather sitting down at the dinner table.

"Any reason why you aren't training right now?" She asked. She wasn't always the brightest person in the room, but she knew Bulat's training schedule down to the minute.

Bulat held up a bowl of stew, still steaming hot, "I got hungry and when I went in the kitchen someone had already made a huge pot of this stuff. You should have some."

Sheele thought about it for a second, before putting down her book. "It must be good if you're recommending it."

* * *

Tatsumi could barely hold back his rage. After three years, three years without a single word of communication, Tsu had the balls to sit around a fire and talk like he didn't have a care in the world.

"You old son of a bitch!" Tatsumi let his bowl of stew go, instead priming his hands to choke the last bit of life out of Tsu's old bones. He was dimly aware of Akame and two others, but his tunnel vision had locked onto the shimmering white hair of his childhood caretaker and guardian. He got Tsu by his collar, pulling the slim man to his feet, and set his raging green eyes to stare into the saddened mother of pearl eyes of someone he was considering killing.

"Three years! Three fucking years!" Tatsumi spat in his face, actual flecks of spittle hitting him. Vaguely noticing movement out of the corners of his eyes, Tatsumi watched as Tsu's eyes disengaged his before sweeping over the three witnesses behind them.

"Don't worry. He just needs to vent."

"But…" A female voice started to question.

"No buts."

Tsu's eyes returned to Tatsumi's, now full of the fiery wrath Tatsumi remembered. Realizing that he had just been given permission to continue, he happily returned to his rant. "You just walk right out of my fucking life at a time when I needed you most and now you just show up here? Where were you? Where were you when the village got attacked by Danger Beasts? Where were you when I nearly died of pneumonia? Where were you when Sayo and Ieyasu died?" Tsu flinched like he'd been slapped. "You were supposed to help me find them, weren't you?" Tsu's fiery gaze dimmed, while Tatsumi's only blazed stronger. "Say something already!"

Tatsumi barely had time to register the punch landing on his cheek before he found himself on his back in the creek, drenched from head to toe with an aching face. A strange wave of nostalgia flowed through him, much like the current that threatened to sweep him away. He jumped out of the surprisingly cold water, now feeling like a drowned cat. And not looking much better.

"You feel better?" Tsu spread his arms, indicating he was done with Tatsumi's tantrum. The green eyed boy only glared at him in response, noting the older man's tattered robe beneath his cloak. "Silent treatment, really? You going to keep acting like you're ten or are you going to man up and sit by the fire while I explain everything so you don't catch pneumonia again?"

Tatsumi switched out his glare for a surly pout, but complied with Tsu's demands. Even if his guardian was a selfish prick, he always knew what he was talking about.

"And you wasted a bowl of stew on top of that? Way to go brat." Tatsumi felt the veins in his forehead throb at the mention of Tsu's pet peeve.

* * *

Tsu turned away from the soaked form of Tatsumi, choosing to address the female Night Raid members first. "Sorry about that. Raising children is supposed to be rewarding but I'm clearly still waiting on that part."

Najenda chose to speak first, clearing her throat before adopting as neutral of a tone as she could. "So, Tsu, you told me how you met Akame, but would you be so kind as to explain the rest of your story? I've got something of an idea of who you are based off of our conversations and reports, but I imagine there's a lot more to it."

Akame nodded in agreement before sitting down near Tatsumi, an act that didn't go unnoticed by the others. Tatsumi couldn't stop a hot blush from crossing his face, so he leaned in towards the fire to make sure she couldn't tell. Najenda realized that Tatsumi was the one Akame had been talking about, and also the boy Tsu mentioned he raised after escaping. Tsu's companion merely observed, her expression and eyes hidden in the depths of her hood.

"Still close as always, I see." Tsu sighed again, deciding it would be easier to tell his story if he stayed standing. "Make sure Tatsumi doesn't fall asleep on me. He always passed out when I tried to tell it to him."

"You would try and tell me it after training and keeping me up until midnight! What did you expect?" Tatsumi grumbled, docile despite the reprimand.

"Sure, sure. So anyways, after Tatsumi and I escaped the slavers we had to go into hiding for a while. The village we hid in welcomed us, and we became part of their community quickly. Of course I would occasionally take Tatsumi along on a trip to cause some kind of headache for the Empire's corrupt element, but for the most part we lived as a monk and his son. Three years ago, some group got a hold of my identity and decided they were going to send assassins. Rather than pay back the villager's kindness with bloodshed, I left Tatsumi behind in the care of an old army officer. So then I spent the next three years dodging assassins, trying to keep them from finding out about Tatsumi. And when I stumbled across a clue to those girls I had abandoned, it led me back towards this part of the Empire. Which was when your spies for the Revolutionary Army found me."

"Revolutionary Army?" Tatsumi questioned, moving his heavy-lidded eyes to Najenda. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the monk's words were boring him to sleep. A slight nudge from Akame cured it, but left him feeling warmer than the fire.

"Night Raid is the special ops group tasked with removing threats to the Revolutionary Army and the future country it hopes to bring about." Najenda explained, "We're fighting the Empire to save the people being crushed under its corruption."

"Then you're… fighting for a cause. Bringing justice from the shadows!" Tatsumi felt himself grow excited at the thought of joining a group fighting for the good in the world. Tsu snorted at the remark, earning him a quick glare from Tatsumi that failed to make him react.

"You raised one hell of an idealist." Najenda commented before turning back to Tatsumi. "Call it whatever you want, but we're killing people. And we risk our lives to do it. No back-up, no one to know you died outside of our little family."

"So what? We're fighting for people that can't do it themselves." Tatsumi protested, punching to his feet in a burst of zealous energy.

"I'm glad you've got some resolve," Tsu noted, impressed by Tatsumi's response. "But I don't think the future househusband I raised had that much of a spine."

At his guardian's choice of words, Tatsumi couldn't help but be embarrassed as Akame looked at him in confusion and Najenda doubled over in laughter.

"What kind of househusband can actually fight Akame?" She howled out the question between bouts of laughter. "Oh that's rich."

Tsu shrugged, completely disinterested by the fact that he was humiliating Tatsumi. "I didn't teach him anything about fighting other than not crying from a hit. That's all natural talent of his."

Akame and Najenda's eyes widened, realizing that not only was Tatsumi strong enough to challenge the best fighter in Night Raid; he was practically untrained. The possibility that he could become even stronger made them question if Tsu was lying about Tatsumi's apparent lack of training.

Expecting them to doubt his claim, Tsu returned his attention to Tatsumi. "Brat, put some of the spice mix you're carrying on a piece of evil-bird and let them taste it."

"What makes you think I'm carrying that?" Tatsumi defensively replied, his embarrassment reaching all new peaks.

"I can smell it on you. Now hurry up or I'm breaking your favorite knife." Tatsumi groused at the threat, but decided it was better to comply since Tsu always carried through on his word. He reached into his left sleeve and drew out a small folded oilskin. Reaching carefully into the roasting carcass, he pulled off two choice pieces and opened the packet with his thumb. After lightly sprinkling a reddish powder across the meat, he offered them to the two members of Night Raid. He couldn't even meet their eyes as he meekly complied with Tsu's demand.

After warily sharing a look of discomfort at Tatsumi's situation, Najenda and Akame accepted the meat. Akame didn't hesitate to taste her piece. An explosion of flavors that she couldn't describe filled her mouth, but before she could even begin to identify them, they were gone. Looking down at her hands, Akame was surprised how fast she had devoured her piece. She was used to food disappearing quickly when she ate but this seemed a little excessive. Another piece was pushed right under her nose, making her nearly go cross-eyed looking at it.

"Take it. You looked like you enjoyed it." Najenda half-requested of her. The former general waited for Akame to grab it, only to blink and have the meat vanish in the instant her eyes were off of it. A blink of confusion and Akame was standing next to the roast, spreading more of the spice mix across the cooked flesh while Tatsumi was looking at his hand with utter surprise at the loss of his treasured packet.

"I think that's Akame's way of welcoming you to Night Raid." Najenda explained, making Tatsumi turn to her with a goofy expression of self-satisfaction.

"So that means I'm in?" He asked, smug at the thought of impressing the boss.

"Maybe as their maid." Tsu commented, drawing a snort of laughter from his red-cloaked companion.

* * *

Leone continued following Tatsumi's trail, with Mien close behind her. She rounded a small bend near the creek and was greeted to a very unusual sight.

Two figures in red cloaks stood near a fire where Akame was currently tearing into a roasted evil bird while Tatsumi stood blushing and their boss Najenda looked at all of them. One of the cloak wearers, a boy with shimmering white hair and eyes was smirking in triumph and his female companion was snorting from suppressed laughter.

"Uh, hi Boss!" Leone said, deactivating her transformation, "I see you met the new guy and brought some friends too."

Najenda regarded the two with a light look. "Ah, Leone. I have. And he's already agreed to join us with Akame's recommendation."

"Whaaaaaaaaaat? Akame recommended him?" Mien complained, irritated by the all the trouble this new guy was already causing her.

"Yes Mien, she did. If you would gather up everybody for a meeting it would be helpful." Najenda casually ordered her, eliciting a slight laugh from Tatsumi and the white-themed boy. Mien grumbled, but turned and started back towards the base to get Bulat and Sheele from wherever they were.

"Which reminds me… Leone?" The blonde stiffened when her boss continued, realizing what was about to happen. "Weren't you supposed to meet up with Lubbock and Kurome to help with the supply run?"

 _Shit._ The blonde started to sprint away, hoping she would get away before Najenda brought down her hammer of punishment. She barely made it ten yards before Najenda's projectile hand caught her by the collar, ruthlessly pulling her back towards her fate.

"I'm sorry!" She screamed out, hoping for some mercy.

* * *

 **Hey readers, I'm going to be totally honest here... I had no idea how Tsu was, is, and** **will be received. He's a character that I made mostly so I could give Tatsumi and Akame a childhood friendship that was forcibly broken apart.**

 **Fun Fact #1: This wasn't originally planned as Time Travel AU, it was actually a role reversal where Tatsumi was a defector that was hunted by his friends while Akame and Kurome came to find a lead on their missing "friends" Sayo and Ieyasu.**


	3. Kill the Training

**Thanks as always to Iamyandere4ever for being my beta.**

 **Disclaimer: Akame Ga Kill is not mine, it belongs to its rightful owners. However, Tsu is mine. That spunky old man.**

* * *

Najenda sat in her chair, looking at her four assassins, two guests, and their new recruit. Bulat, Sheele, Mien and Akame stood off to her left while the newest additions stood on the right in front of her. She felt some slight pull on the chain currently being held in her actual hand, and tugged it. Leone, whose hands and feet were bound by the chain, skidded across the floor closer to Najenda. The blonde was absolutely humiliated to be treated like this; she hadn't been doing her job because they needed to keep an eye on the new guy.

Akame and everyone else did their best to ignore the blonde's punishment, instead choosing to focus on Najenda's explanation.

"Okay, everyone. We've got some guests and a new member." Najenda started, "Tatsumi, since you're new, I'll have Akame train you." The declaration made Tatsumi pull a momentary victory pose that went unnoticed by everyone else. "And for the rest of you, the other one is Tsu and he is here to cure Kurome with the help of his assistant. Treat them well since they are going to our official medics for the foreseeable future." Tsu bowed, and his still hooded companion inclined her head, making sure not to reveal her face. Something that all the veterans in the room noticed.

"One question." Tsu raised his hand, showing deference to Najenda's position despite his age. Najenda nodded to show he could continue, to which he pointed to Mien with his thumb and stated, "Why are you letting a preteen wield Pumpkin?"

The silence that met his question was answered by the assorted faces everyone made. Akame, Bulat, and Sheele looked slightly disappointed at Tsu's tactless question. Najenda seemed surprised that he had identified the Teigu. Leone and Tatsumi looked like they were fighting to not laugh out loud. But Mien's look of pure rage by far showed how wrong Tsu was to ask that.

"I'm older than you, you dirty looking bum!" She shrilly cried, turning the gun on him with murderous intent. Only to find that he wasn't standing where Pumpkin's barrel was pointing.

"I sincerely doubt that. Between the flatness of your chest and my Tiegu's gift of youth, I'm definitely older than a shrimp like you." Tsu casually said, his mouth mere inches from her ear while he stooped to ensure the proximity of his words.

Mien froze, as did everyone else. No one had seen Tsu move, much less expect him to be able to cross the distance to Mien that quickly.

"Wait, you have a Teigu?" Bulat questioned, not sure if he should be relieved or terrified by the revelation.

"Yes, it's…" Tsu started to answer, only to be cut off by Mien's attempt to swing her gun at his head. He vanished the moment before it touched him, reappearing next to his companion in the same instant.

"Hold on, hold on. What's this all about Teigu? Are they some kind of skill or something?' Tatsumi requested, looking at his former guardian. Akame and the others fixed the two of them with a stare that implied a lot of questions as to Tatsumi's education. Akame thought it might have been her imagination, but it appeared that Tsu's hair had gotten slightly duller, no longer shimmering like it had before.

Tsu sighed and summarily chopped Tatsumi on the head in admonishment. "Did you ever pay attention when I tried to teach you about history?" Tatsumi rubbed his head, looking at him with defiant contempt. "Teigu were created by the First Emperor as part of his legacy. He wanted to ensure the Empire would thrive and continue long after he reigned." Tsu spoke the words with an unnatural amount of affection, getting everyone else to think of a schoolgirl talking about her crush. Making most of the room's occupants sweat-drop at the mental image.

His voice turned serious as he continued. "They're weapons, armor, and few other nasty things meant to give the Empire's loyal subjects the power to keep their Empire going. They all come with terrifying abilities that no ordinary person could ever hope to fight against." Tsu pointed at the gathered assassins. "They each wield one of these Teigu. As do I." Tsu grinned, "But the real danger is when two Teigu wielders clash. Because of how powerful these artifacts are, there's only ever one survivor from their fights."

"He summed it up pretty well." Najenda commented, looking to the others for any additional input. Everyone shook their heads, not seeing a need to expand on the explanation now.

"So when do I get one?" Tatsumi asked, looking over to Najenda excitedly only to receive another disciplinary chop to his head. Growling at the hit, but understanding its meaning, he rephrased his question. "Is there a possibility that I could get a Teigu also?"

Mien snorted at Tatsumi's submission to his guardian's blows, earning a glare from him. And a sigh from everyone else.

"No." Najenda told him, making him slump. "We don't have any right now. Not to mention we don't even know if you can bear the physical and mental burdens of wielding one."

Undaunted by Tatsumi's sudden depression, Najenda issued her next order. "That's all for now. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

As the sun set on the day, a familiar green-haired figure pushed a cart piled high with various supplies with a small black-themed girl sitting on top of the pile.

"Damnit! Wasn't Leone supposed to help us with all this?" Lubbock complained as he stopped the hand-cart he was pushing outside Night Raid's hideout. When he looked up the pile of supplies to the spot where his partner sat, Lubbock couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at the fact that Kurome was eating her way through a stash of cookies he could have sworn he had hidden at the bottom of the pile.

"Not that it matters, but I hope that she got punished for it while we weren't here so you can't use the memory of it to warm yourself tonight." Kurome replied, sliding down the pile of supplies to land near Lubbock. Lubbock started to formulate a retort when they heard a voice call out to them.

"Oh, you're finally back." The two of them turned to find Najenda standing at the entrance to the hideout, her Night Raid jacket draped over her shoulders to keep the chill of the mountain air away.

"Oh, hey Boss. Nice to see you're back."

"Evening, Miss Najenda. What, did my absence worry you that much?" Lubbock said, wondering why she would take the time to meet them here. Kurome used the opening to smack Lubbock on the back, believing that he had said it with perverted intentions. Which wasn't exactly wrong.

"Hardly," Najenda casually responded, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Kurome, the specialist is here and he's setting up shop in the empty forge. Can you meet with him and his assistant as soon as possible? I can't imagine I need to tell you why."

"Of course." Kurome saluted half-seriously before dashing into the base, eager to meet the person who would finally free herself of the final shackle holding her back from being free of the Empire's evil.

After quickly checking to make sure she was gone, Najenda turned her focus back to Lubbock, clearly ready to task the information specialist with something.

"Lubbock, I need you to research some things that only the Empire will have information on." Ah, there was the catch that Lubbock had accurately guessed would appear.

"Sure. Looks like I might as well turn around and go right back to the Capitol after this."

Najenda playfully smirked at his smart-mouthed answer. "I need you to look into a Teigu that extends lifespans, large mark assassination contracts, and I need as much as you can get about a man by the name of Tsu."

When Lubbock heard the name, some warning bell in the back of his head told him that it was familiar. And very dangerous. "Just Tsu? No family name? An alias?"

"Possibly." Najenda huffed on her cigarette, unsure of what she was going to find out.

"Okay then."

* * *

"Who does that guy think he is?" Mien groused into the bowl of stew that was set before her. Bulat and Sheele looked her with sympathy, but knew she was in the wrong.

"Weren't you paying attention, it was pretty obvious that he's Tatsumi's dad. Or maybe something more." Bulat pointed out, blushing slightly at the thought of two handsome men living together like that.

"Hmph. I don't care. That bumpkin and his old hobo aren't in our league." She protested, still annoyed at them for making fun of her.

"But Tatsumi has already proven himself when he fought Akame, and Mister Tsu could have killed you in that instant when he was right next to you and we wouldn't have been able to stop him, were we in battle." Sheele mentioned, looking at her pink-obsessed friend.

Mien continued to grumble under her breath even though she knew Sheele was right about that. But that would mean acknowledging them and letting them bring their troubles into Akame's life.

When she tasted the stew, she couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face at its deliciousness. She eagerly began to dig into the dish, not even looking up when the mystery girl that followed Tsu around walked into the dining room, still wearing her cloak and hood. She ignored the three already present, grabbing two bowls and ladling stew into them. Once they were full, she grabbed two spoons and made to leave the room without giving them any clues as to who she was.

When she reached the door of the room, she paused, and turned back to face the eating assassin. "If you dislike Tatsumi so much, might I suggest you try not to smile while eating his cooking?"

Mien had barely begun to stammer out an excuse before the girl was gone.

* * *

Kurome stood outside the formerly empty forge, wondering what could be waiting for her. She threw open the door, ready to meet the specialist who was going to cure her addiction. Only to be let down at the sight of a boy in a tattered gray robe curled up on top of a red cloak.

 _Must be the assistant_. She guessed, looking around the rest of the room. Tables had been set up around the empty and open forge, covered in all manner of scientific devices and brown bottles containing things Kurome couldn't name.

A snort and shuffle from the boy drew Kurome's attention, which let her notice that the boy's hair was an unusually clean shade of white. Memories of a certain person with similarly colored hair rose up in her, and made her step closer. The boy rolled over, revealing his face as his white-silver eyes met Kurome's.

"So that's what you look like now." Tsu mumbled, still half-asleep from his nap. Kurome couldn't believe that he was really standing right here. Or rather, getting up with a stretch.

"Did you come because of Tatsu-nii?" Kurome couldn't keep some slight venom out of her voice. She wasn't someone to forgive and forget.

"It's perfectly right of you to be mad about me leaving you two." Tsu responded to the hostility in her voice. "I was planning on finding and rescuing you girls, but clearly my old bones were too slow."

"After so long, that's your excuse?"

"Well I got slowed by dodging assassins for a few years after raising Tatsumi." Tsu admitted, standing up staright so he could get a proper measure of one of his former charges. "So the Empire got you hooked on some bad stuff."

"Your powers of observation are amazing," Kurome let her eyes roll, realizing she didn't need to respect Tsu. Not that she had, even as a child.

Tsu let a hand rise to a spot over his heart, faking a swoon. "Oh, dear. What ever happened to that darling little girl who barely came out from behind her sister's skirt? Where ever did she go?"

Kurome flushed at the embarrassing memory, and did her best not to respond to the patronizing comment.

"Anyways Kurome, let's be serious for a bit before we have a big family reunion." Tsu continued, stepping over to one of the tables. "Do you have any of the drugs with you?"

"Of course." She rummaged in her snack bag for one of her capsules, and after finding one, handed it over. He set the capsule down on one of his instruments, already reaching for some bottles.

"I'll have to determine all of its ingredients before I can come up with a proper antidote and cure. I should have one ready in a few days, but you're free to go give that brat a hug." Tsu shooed her off, turning his back to her so he could continue working.

Kurome turned to leave, and stopped at the sight of a girl in a red cloak and hood carrying two bowls of what appeared to be a stew.

"Great, now we have another pervert around here." Kurome couldn't help but mutter as she brushed past the mystery girl.

* * *

Tatsumi stood outside his new room, wondering how he was going to handle this new life. He closed his eyes, trying to match up his memories of his childhood friend with the beautiful and very deadly girl who had nearly killed him yesterday. God above, his life was getting too unpredictable.

"Tatsumi." He opened his eyes, and became uncomfortable at the closeness of Akame's red eyes. He felt his gaze start to drop towards her chest, and made the conscious effort to look up and try not to blush.

"Y-yes, Akame?" He stuttered, mentally cursing himself for not keeping his composure.

"I'm glad that you decided to join." The warmth in her voice made Tatsumi focus back on her. He was surprised to see a hint of a smile on her face.

"Well, we promised that we would meet again." Tatsumi reminded her, doing his best to squash an upwelling of sadness. "I'm just sorry that Ieyasu and Sayo never got to meet you."

Akame's expression became more neutral. "I'm sorry too. They must have been great friends."

"Yeah. They even promised to help me find you guys after the old man left." Tatsumi's face fell, his hair shadowing his eyes. "But I'm happy." Tatsumi's cheerful smile returned. "I get to train with you. Please teach me well Akame-sempai."

Akame blushed at the praise, breaking her stoic attempt to hide how his words were affecting her. She felt herself take a step closer to Tatsumi, closing the distance between them. Unfortunately, a certain black-themed assassin rounded the corner and saw them.

"Tatsu-nii!" Kurome shouted, running and throwing herself at Tatsumi, ignorant of what Akame had been considering. Tatsumi was dragged to the ground by the forceful tackle-hug, but managed to keep himself between the floor and Kurome. After grunting from the two-part impact, Tatsumi looked at the small girl currently wrapped around his midsection.

"Hey you." He smiled at Kurome, reaching up to pat her head. "Glad to see you made it back in one piece."

"Of course. I'm a professional after all." Kurome preened, stars in her eyes from the praise and the petting. Unconsciously, Akame's hand moved to the top of her head as she considered what it would feel like to get petted like that by Tatsumi.

"Did you see the old man?" Tatsumi questioned as they stood up, now that Kurome had let go.

"Yes. He's already working." Kurome quickly turned away from Tatsumi, "And he's got some girl with him. Old pervert."

"I've been wondering Tatsumi, do you know anything about her?" Akame wondered, reminding them that she was there.

"What Onee-chan said, Tatsu-nii."

Tatsumi thought about it, before replying, "I… honestly don't know. He must have met her sometime after he left, but we do know she's blonde and around our age." Tatsumi's eyes lost focus as he continued to muse, "Maybe she's like us. Someone he chose to save."

* * *

Tatsumi's next few days were focused on acclimating himself into the organization, working alongside Akame around the hideout. He met all the members of Night Raid properly; except for Lubbock, who was apparently out on a mission for Najenda. The only real highlight he had was when Tsu and he had a funeral for Ieyasu and Sayo, with full ceremonies and stone markers. If you could call that a highlight.

"Sayo… Ieyasu…. I'm sorry that you guys aren't here to see what happened." Tatsumi felt a sad smile cross his face as the sun rose on his fifth day at Night Raid's base. "But we met them. Akame and Kurome… they were in the capital the whole time. And the old man finally showed up too… but it's not going to be the same without you two."

Sensing a projectile aimed at him, Tatsumi turned and caught the thrown ladle that had been aimed at his head. He looked past the utensil to the one who threw, glaring at the intruder on his private grieving.

"Talking to the dead won't get you any responses." Tsu stated with no hint of sympathy. "Better to waste your words on the living."

Rather than dignify him with a response, Tatsumi walked past his guardian with his head straight forward.

* * *

 _As much as I like cooking…_ Tatsumi thought as he chopped carrots for dinner, _I wish they would actually train me!_

Another bout of laughter from the dining room made Tatsumi grimace, knowing exactly what they were laughing about. Bulat, Tsu's assistant, Kurome, and Leone were barely upright, holding their chests against the guffaws. Sheele continued to smile politely, letting out the occasional chuckle while trying to remain dignified. Mien didn't show any sign of restraint, her head on the table as she pounded the wood to the beat of her own laughs.

"…I swear, I chased him up and down that mountain at least three times." Tsu proclaimed, tears in his eyes from telling the story about Tatsumi's childhood. "And when I finally got my hands on him, he says to me, 'But you didn't say I couldn't.'" Everyone couldn't hold back as they howled with laughter, making Tatsumi blush with embarrassment. He couldn't believe the old man was humiliating him like that.

A quick turn of his head to look at Akame revealed that even she wasn't immune to it. A slight smile and flushed cheeks told him she was holding back her own laughter for his sake.

"Not to sound too judgmental, but when are we going to do some real training? It's obvious I can cook." Tatsumi questioned while he continued chopping more vegetables, hoping he could distract her from hearing any more embarrassing stories.

"It can't be helped since I'm in charge of food." Akame replied, popping small pieces of cold ham into her mouth. Tatsumi felt himself lose some respect for his childhood friend. _Because you want to sample and eat everything, if I had to guess._

"And you don't really need training considering you almost got me." She continued, oblivious to Tatsumi's blush at her compliment. Akame quickly realized what she said and quickly rectified it. "Plus, until you complete your first contract, we can't get a measure of your actual skill levels."

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor signaled everyone's preparation for departure.

"Kurome, can you come to my clinic?" Tsu requested, almost out the door before Kurome followed him with a quick "Of course." Tsu's companion followed behind, barely more than his animated shadow.

The others gathered at the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, ready to leave.

"We'll be out on a mission you two, so don't frisky without me around!" Leone told them, winking at Akame while Tatsumi turned away to cut potatoes and hide his rampant blush. Akame managed to reign in her embarrassment from Leone's comment by focusing on the sound of Tatsumi's rapid chopping.

"Big assignment?" Akame guessed, noting that the four remaining members of Night Raid were clearly prepared to go out.

"Don't worry about it Akame, it should only take the four of us so you can focus on taking care of the rookie." Bulat reassured her, while Mien took up a haughty stance to deliver a line.

"Yeah, have fun, maid-in-training!" Mien insulted Tatsumi, causing his chopping to miss a barely perceptible beat. Everyone else turned as they heard the sound of something metal burying itself in the wood of the doorframe. Mien froze as a slight breeze tickled her cheek, followed by an unusual lightness in her left twintail.

Everyone's eyes bugged as they caught sight of what had happened: The kitchen knife Tatsumi had been chopping with was buried halfway to its handle, edge facing inward towards Mien. The blade had sheared off half of Mien's hair on that side, still quivering near her cheek while the cut strands fell to the floor. And all the while Tatsumi had never turned nor stopped his potato chopping. With a completely different knife.

Mien couldn't help but pale at the realization that Tatsumi might have killed her on accident. She felt words ready to burst forth and hammer the boy into submission before everyone else turned to face him, still not looking beyond the cutting board he was working on.

"Next time it won't be the hair." He told them when he felt their gazes on his back. This served to make everyone pale, realizing that as much as Tsu got away with making fun of Tatsumi they weren't going to get that leniency.

Akame considered the nearly impossible action before making a decision. _Looks like we need to get him some throwing knives._

* * *

Lubbock let his back press against the stone wall of the ancient Imperial archives, letting its coolness soak up some of the heat from his overstimulated body.

"Four days and only a handful of clues without anything useful." He muttered, rubbing his eyes to make the texts in front of him stop dancing. "And I'm supposed to be our best information gatherer."

He pulled his gaze from the old pieces of paper, letting his thoughts drift to give himself an idea of what to look for next.

 _It's not an alias… maybe the name of his organization._

 _What if the Teigu isn't actually meant for combat?_

 _They weren't unknown assassins, but sent by a specific group within the Empire._

These thoughts crossed his mind, and Lubbock found himself building a new plan of research to follow the trail his thoughts had led him to.

"Oh man, I hope Najenda gives me a sweet bonus for all of this." Lubbock exclaimed, his energy returning as the clues he had found earlier pulled him back into the stacks of knowledge.

* * *

Tsu stood behind one of his tables, fiddling with a clear half-gallon bottle full of a grey-blue concoction that was sealed in with wax.

"Okay, I've got good news, annoying news, and great news." He told Kurome, who was sitting on a nearby examination table with Tsu's companion standing near her.

With a roll of her eyes, Kurome said, "Well please, continue to keep me in suspense."

Tsu took the sarcastic comment with an unwavering expression. "Good news: I've got a cure made up and now we can administer it." He held up the bottle to indicate its importance.

"I don't think I can drink that much without needing to pee." Kurome deadpanned, eliciting a chuckle from her still unidentified female compatriot.

"Melody, not funny." Tsu mentioned to his assistant/companion. "That's the annoying thing… you don't drink it…"

"Then how am I…?" Kurome stopped her question as she realized what he meant. She started to make a move to flee, only to be grabbed in Melody's surprisingly strong grip. "No! Anything but shots! I hate needles." She squirmed, on the verge of a panic attack.

Tsu sensed it, and quickly came up with a strategy to divert her attention. "No one told me how you and Akame defected. I'm kind of amazed that it actually happened."

"Y-your words…" The black-haired girl stuttered, her eyes glazing over at the memories. "You told us to try and escape if we had the chance. Warned us that they would force us to accept the Empire's evil. They thought they had brainwashed us to obey without question but the thought of you and Tatsu-nii searching for us kept us strong against it." She barely registered the pinch of a needle slipping into her arm.

"When Onee-chan met Najenda, she realized it was our one chance, but they had me addicted so I couldn't properly defect. So we came up with a plan…" She hissed as the plunger pushed the cure into her system, spreading a strange coolness through her body. "Onee-chan would defect and I would pretend to not be a part of it while they tried to find someone to cure me. I made sure that they would assign me to hunt down both her and Night Raid so I could actually help with missions whenever I got the chance. Now I can finally leave them behind forever." She could feel Melody placing a small bandage over the injection site.

"You can't!" Tsu exclaimed, turning Kurome's head to him with a single hand. "The moment you do, you and Lubbock are going to be hunted down and we lose access to the Empire's information network. I know you'll hate for saying this, but you need to keep pretending to be loyal."

Kurome's expression hardened, as Tsu expected, before softening. She let her shoulders slump in defeat at the older man's logic. "You're right about that… but I just don't want to keep helping those corrupt devils."

"Poison is at its strongest when applied to the roots of weeds. They don't protect themselves from those that are closest to them. Consider this a long-term infiltration mission." Melody suggested, releasing Kurome and reaching for her hood.

Kurome heard the rustle of fabric as the hood that had hidden Melody's face slipped backwards, letting light grace it for the first time when someone else was around. The black-themed girl couldn't help but be shocked by who it revealed. Standing in front of her, paler than a corpse, was the noble girl Aria.

* * *

Tatsumi stood near the edge of the large pool of water, gazing up at the waterfall flowing into it. He hadn't expected them to just go fishing considering the way Akame had claimed they were going to "take some lives of their own." Or that he was going to be hiking to such a picturesque place.

When he heard the rustle of cloth behind him, he turned to see Akame undressing like it was nothing. Of course it wasn't nothing, as Akame became flustered internally. She knew this was going to be an important move for herself when it came to winning over Tatsumi.

"We'll be getting our fish from here today." She set aside her loosened tie and tugged her shirt up, making sure her bikini top wouldn't let anything slip.

Rather than panic and turn embarrassed like she had expected, Tatsumi watched with wide eyes as she removed her shirt and unzipped her skirt, revealing her frilly white bikini bottoms and matching top.

"Beautiful." He mumbled to himself, still trying to comprehend that not only was the incredibly pretty girl in front of him a trained assassin, but also his childhood friend.

Having heard him say something but not being certain of what she heard, Akame asked, "Come again?"

Realizing he had actually said the word instead of thinking it, Tatsumi flushed and stuttered, "S-s-s-so if we're fishing, why do you need a swimsuit?"

"Because we're going after Koga Tuna." Akame pointed to the pool, expecting Tatsumi to understand.

"You mean we're going to-" Tatsumi was cut off by a high-pitched scream from the direction of the base. When it abruptly cut out Akame didn't hesitate to start sprinting back the way they came, her current state of dress forgotten. Her dash spurred Tatsumi to act, following her after a few seconds of hesitation.

Tatsumi quickly realized that Akame had left her shirt, tie, and skirt behind in her haste. He skidded to a stop looking back at the pile of clothes before glancing back at Akame's retreating bikini-clad form.

 _Do I grab them and bring them along? But what if she thinks I'm creepy for doing that instead of nice? "Tatsumi the Pervert stole my clothes!" or something like that. Unless she expects me to grab them for her. No, that's-_

"Tatsumi, hurry up!" Akame shouted back to him when she couldn't sense him nearby.

"Damnit." He cursed, chasing after Akame empty-handed. He knew this was going to be a screw up no matter what he did.

* * *

Kurome had barely let the shrill cry escape her lips before Tsu clamped a hand over her mouth. Leaving her to stare at the deathly pale face of Aria, a girl she had seen Tatsumi slay less than a week ago. And was smiling at her right now.

"If you promise not to bring down the Empire on our heads with your shrieking, I'll be happy to explain and-" Tsu's suggestion was cut off by Kurome biting his hand, forcing him to let go.

"Explain that." She pointed at Aria, who looked rather guilty. Tsu looked at his hand, making sure Kurome hadn't left any lasting damage before looking her right in the eyes.

"She was as much a victim of her parents as the ones in the storehouse. Her torture was aimed at making her like her parents." He told her, stone-faced as her expression turned angry. "Show her." He said to Aria, who hesitated before rolling up the sleeve of her tunic.

Kurome's eyes widened at the mass of scar tissue that elegantly twined around the vital points of her forearm, clearly from wounds meant to inflict pain without causing impairment. A classic torture technique for lengthy interrogations or forced submission, aka brainwashing.

"Thanks." Tsu told Aria as she rolled her sleeve back down. "Back 400 years ago, the Emperor of that time tried create new Teigu and only succeeded in making the Shingu, as I'm sure you are aware. I was part of the group trying to recreate the lost artifacts. In payment for my help, I had him create one for me."

Aria undid the clasp of her cloak, revealing a wide, spiked choker that had spikes on both the outside and the inside, where they could be clearly seen pressing into the bloodless flesh of her neck.

"Its name is Emparthos, Judgment of the Reformation." The supposedly dead girl explained. "By placing it on a dying person, they are given pseudo life during which they can choose to atone for what they've done or damn themselves. The only way to know if you're actually atoning is if the collar loosens. If it becomes loose enough, you can earn back your life."

"But you were dead. No one could have survived that attack from Tatsumi, much less lasted long enough for rescue to arrive." Kurome denied, remembering that they had lingered for some time after killing the former noble. One of the immutable laws of the Teigu was they couldn't bring life back to the dead.

"The brain doesn't die for minutes after the body does, and so the soul lingers near the body." Tsu pointed out. "Plus this Shingu didn't exactly stop her from dying while wearing it. It only traps her life force in her flesh. Something I imagine you might be familiar with, considering you wield the March of the Dead: Yatsufusa."

"So you brought her back for what reason? Some debt you owe to her family? Or are you just another pervert like Lubbock?" Kurome questioned, having a hard time digesting all the new information.

Tsu cast his gaze down to his feet, let his bangs shade his eyes. "I did something a long time ago that caused a lot of mistakes. Emparthos judges and atones to give people a second chance, something I've never had nor believed in. So I saw a chance to give something I've never had to someone else."

"But how did you know we were attacking their house?"

"I didn't. I visited several possible targets trying to make contact with Night Raid, only to find your handiwork when I came across their home."

Kurome shook her head at the sheer dumb luck, before deciding she was done with his insanity for the day. "I'm going to go lay down for a while."

* * *

Lubbock sprinted through the forest, the wealth of information he had found spurring him to reach the base.

 _Damnit! We had no idea!_ He mentally cursed, jumping the stream that led back to the hideout.

 _I only hope it's not too late._

* * *

Akame surveyed the hideout's exterior thoroughly, looking back for a moment to ensure that Tatsumi wasn't too far behind after his late start. As Tatsumi made it to her side, she made sure they were both hidden.

"Why are you still carrying the basket?" Akame felt the straps on his shoulders, turning to look at him directly.

"I…don't really know." He admitted. He knew he should have dropped it, but it had slipped his mind.

"Well drop it now. We don't know if we've been compromised." Akame shot a look at the base's main door, seemingly waiting to see something while Tatsumi followed her orders. "Let's move."

Akame made a dash across the empty space between their hiding spot and the door, leaving Tatsumi to struggle on focusing on something other than the way her body moved and how much skin she was showing. After biting the inside of his cheek to break the spell that it cast on him, he followed the bikini-clad assassin. Once they were both there, Akame breached the door with her usual grace and speed, immediately wary of any possible opponents.

"We need to get to Tsu's infirmary." She quickly told Tatsumi, who looked on from the doorway as she confirmed the nearby rooms were clear.

"Because…" He tried to answer intelligently, only half-succeeding.

"Because there are two noncombatants up there and it's Kurome's last known location." She replied and moved to the stairs before looking at him expectantly. He sighed before following her, pulling a knife from its hiding spot inside his belt. He felt he was going to need it.

* * *

Tsu didn't bother to turn when his door was kicked in, automatically assuming that it was an irate elder sister.

"Kurome screamed because the cure has to be injected, consider it a false alarm." Tsu tossed the words over his shoulder, not really sensing any actual killing intent that would make him worry if he was wrong about who he was speaking with.

"Oh." Akame replied, noticing that Melody was currently working with her hood down, her blonde hair hiding her face.. Forgetting her manners, Akame tried to get a look at the mystery girl's face behind the veil of hair. To which Melody fluidly drew up her hood to shield her face, making the attempt a failure.

"Akame, are they…?" Tatsumi half-shouted before looking in the door. Only to find nothing out of the ordinary. "What the hell kind of fake out was that?"

Tsu decided to turn around since it would give him a chance to look at his adopted son's face while berating him. Which was when he noticed how Akame was dressed.

"Tatsumi, I know I wasn't around during your sexual maturation time, but please refrain from tricking Akame into wearing next to nothing." He sighed, raising a hand to his temple.

Tatsumi had the decency to look embarrassed and blush about the situation he was currently in while Akame only now seemed to notice that she was only wearing her bikini.

"Please tell me you grabbed my clothes." Akame turned to Tatsumi, rather nervous as she thought about it. As much as she wanted him to be hers, she wasn't going to just hand herself over like some street woman.

"Ahhh….." Tatsumi fumbled for an explanation, reminded of the fact that he had pretty much abandoned that idea as bad. "Well…."

"That old soldier got you hooked on pin-up girls, didn't he?" Tsu cut off Tatsumi, instantly appearing at his side with a hand on his shoulder. He patted it, looking thoughtful before continuing. "I need to teach you what a real fetish is."

Before Tatsumi could process the perverted statement, much less become embarrassed by the open talk, Tsu's companion acted. In two short strides, she crossed the distance between herself and the males before winding up for a powerful kick. To Tsu's crotch.

As the old man collapsed with little more than whimper of pain, Tatsumi felt the need to cover his own groin and wince in sympathy. Not out of any particular affection for his apparently perverted former caretaker, but rather as a fellow male.

"When was it wrong to be sexually attracted to strong, kind women?" Tsu's prolific question lost some vigor as each word had to be panted out between painful gasps for air.

Tatsumi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, now stuck in a very uncomfortable situation. Melody seemed to be emitting an apologetic air, despite the lack of a visible expression. Akame merely shifted her focus from her situation and Tatsumi's humiliation to Tsu's current agony.

"Okay, everyone needs to leave while I recover from this undignified injury." Tsu ordered the three still standing as he crawled towards a pile of blankets topped with his cloak. "Akame, go change. Brat, check on Kurome to make sure she didn't have any kind of reaction to the cure. Melody, make sure he doesn't sneak off to watch her change."

The girls nodded their agreement while Tatsumi's shock was as clear as day. He decided to glare at Tsu's huddled back while Akame and Melody slipped out of the room. After quickly glancing to make sure they were out of earshot.

"I hope you lose both of them!" Tatsumi declared before slamming the door closed.

Tsu shot a withering look over his shoulder at the door before muttering, "You are really ungrateful."

* * *

Najenda held up Lubbock while he recovered, having run straight to her from the Capitol and giving his report before his knees gave out.

"Let me know when you're strong enough to move. We need to capture him right now." Najenda ordered her information specialist.

"What about the rest of them?" The green-haired assassin wheezed, feeling his strength returning after being so close to Najenda's chest.

"Tatsumi talks big, but I doubt he could kill the man who raised him. Akame and Kurome might have reservations but they're professionals. The major problem is his assistant, Melody."

"What about his speed? Do you really think we can catch him?"

"With Cross Tail and the element of surprise, we can."

* * *

Akame had changed into a spare set of clothes that she normally wore when her usual ones were too bloodstained to go without cleaning. It was a light blue version of her shirt and skirt, lacking only her tie. She made her way towards Kurome's room, wanting to check on both her and Tatsumi. Just thinking about the embarrassment of having to ask him for her clothes had been tough, but she could understand why he didn't take them. He was too focused on the job to think of a minor detail like that.

A flash of green further down the hallway caught her eye, and she realized it was Lubbock back from his mission.

"Lubbock, good to see you. How was-" She was cut off when Lubbock put his hands on her shoulders. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt before breaking his fingers, Akame listened as he spoke.

"You, Tatsumi, and Kurome are going to watch over Melody. Najenda's orders."

She nodded automatically, understanding that it meant Tsu had likely done something to anger Najenda and she was going to confront him. Not entirely implausible considering her last discussion with him.

"Do what you need to. We'll complete the mission."

* * *

Tsu rolled over at the sound of the door opening, mildly surprised by the appearance of Najenda and a green-themed boy that he assumed was Lubbock.

A glimmer of light reflected off of a razor-thin wire, making Tsu realize what had happened. "I guess you figured it out."

Najenda extended a pistol towards Tsu, her authoritative voice proclaiming, "For crimes against the citizens of this nation, I hereby place you under arrest… Will of the Empire."

* * *

 **And cliffhanger...**

 **So yes, to anyone who had their suspicions that Melody was actually Aria, good job! I didn't make it too subtle but still.**

 **Now its time for the drama to really kick up while Tatsumi bumbles his way into understanding his own feelings.**

 **See you next chapter.**


	4. First Kill

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

 **Thanks to Iamyandere4ever for being my beta. And also to everyone who's favorited, followed and reviewed!**

* * *

Akame found Melody in Kurome's room, engaged in a lively conversation about Tsu's strange habit of wearing his tattered robe.

"I'm telling you, that thing can't be the same robe he wore when he left 3 years ago." Tatsumi challenged.

"I'm not so sure," Kurome claimed, "I remember him wearing a similar robe with a hole right around the same spot."

They looked at his assistant, hoping she could give them some insight. "I haven't seen him wear anything else. Assuming he changes his clothes, all of them must be in that same terrible state."

"Everyone," Akame's voice made them turn to face her. "Tsu has apparently irritated Najenda. Do any of you have an idea why?"

The three took the time to think about it before Kurome and Melody shared a look.

"Well…" Kurome started while Melody reached for her hood.

* * *

Tsu found himself suffering from a headache in a room that he had never seen. On top of his crotch pain, a visceral reminder of why he should have disciplined Tatsumi more. After finding that his limbs were tied, he knew what he was in for. Looking around, he saw Najenda smoking while Lubbock played with some thread from Cross Tail.

"You know I never found this room during my tour. Probably good you don't let everyone know where your interrogation room." He told them, his voice even considering his situation. "Just be disappointed that I don't scream for torture."

Najenda dropped her cigarette and stubbed it out with her shoe. "So what brought the most loyal agent that the Empire has ever known to Night Raid? Did you plan on subtly taking us out? Or perhaps you were going to turn us against each other? I wouldn't expect any less of a violent psychopath."

Tsu scoffed at the remark. "I doubt your Imperial sources are accurate. Between misinformation spread by me and the slander of my enemies, I doubt anything you know is true."

"You're the only survivor of the Kamitsu Order, an ancient monastic group that revered the Ultra-Class Danger Beast Luna as its god before the First Emperor wiped out both them and their god." Lubbock read off, holding up a piece of folded parchment.

Tsu averted his eyes. "I doubt _most_ of the things you know are true."

Najenda didn't waste his impudence as an opportunity to kick him. While her foot sunk into his flesh and knocked the wind out of his lungs, he didn't show any pain on his face.

"You are the greatest enemy of the people. Whatever you try and deny, we have enough to execute you for your crimes. But we need some information first."

Taking a chance to spit on her shoes, Tsu replied. "And here I thought it was my charm that was keeping me alive."

Najenda chose to step on him, crushing his shoulder underneath her boot. While he stifled any reaction she began her questions. "What are the Empire's plans? How did they find us? And what was your mission?"

"I don't know. They didn't. And you hired me to cure Kurome and-" Tsu's smart answer was cut off by Lubbock's boot joining Najenda's.

"Don't fuck with us!" Lubbock yelled. "You're the damned reason we need this revolution!"

Tsu coughed, before managing to reply, "Just because you don't want to accept your blame as humans for your faults, doesn't mean you have a right to push them on me."

Najenda mulled over her statement before stating, "Claiming you aren't human? Maybe monster is better when it comes to describing you. Much like her."

"Maybe so." Tsu vanished from under their boots, leaving the ropes that had bound him on the ground.

"Son of a bitch!"

* * *

After Kurome and the now-revealed Aria managed to calm down both Tatsumi and Akame, the four fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Deciding to break the tension, Tatsumi cleared his throat.

"So… sorry about what happened. If I would have known…" His words petered out under the intense glares of the sister assassins.

Aria ignored the girls' annoyance with his tactless question and gave a gentle smile before saying, "Don't. If you hadn't, I wouldn't be here and neither would you. And if I hadn't been near-death, Emparthos couldn't have cleansed me of the pain and trauma inflicted by my parents. Though I must still atone for my sins."

The three looked at her, at a total loss for words. A long silence passed between the four teens.

"How does Emparthos work? I remember Tsu saying it was one of the Shingu." Kurome decided it was a safe topic to talk about.

"It harnesses one's sins and uses them to manifest the corresponding judgement for its target. For example, your major sins are…" Aria explained before pointing at each one of them. "Pride." Tatsumi. "Wrath." Akame. "Gluttony." Kurome seemed a little annoyed at hers, and nearly said something before Aria continued. "But those are just the ones that I can immediately sense. Everyone has more than that, and it changes over the course of your life. And using Emparthos I can create an attack befitting the judgement of the sin."

"Well then what's the old man's?" Tatsumi questioned, eager to get a leg up on Tsu.

"Well, his major sin is pride, as I'm sure you could guess. But what worries me is the other one I sense from him…" The three leaned in to hear her next words. "Lying."

* * *

Tsu found himself curled up on his blanket pile, the ache in his upper head replaced by a much more urgent pain in his other head.

"Damnit!" He swore, realizing that he had made a mistake. _I must have been unconscious for longer than I anticipated._

His Teigu's most basic ability, which he called Retrace, allowed him to move to his body physically backwards along his personal timeline. It looked to most people like he was teleporting, but it was really nothing more than him having already existed there and moving back to that point for himself. The constraint on that wonderful ability of his was that he could only use it to move backwards along his timeline, which meant the rest of the world didn't rewind. And more immediately, his body would be in the same condition it was at that time. Injuries included.

Holding his no longer recovering groin, Tsu pulled his cloak over himself and grabbed several pieces of paper. If he was going to leave, he was going to hurt as few people as he could.

* * *

Lubbock slammed the door to Kurome's room open, failing to see anyone other than the three assassins alongside a girl that he guessed was the assistant with her hood down. He had guessed that she was pretty but Lubbock had to take a moment to rein himself in so he could get back to what he was doing without being distracted by her.

"Any of you seen Tsu?" He asked, immediately looking for any sign of a lie. They shook their heads, not having seen him since they had left the room that he had claimed as his office.

"What did he do?" Akame questioned back, remembering the green-themed information gatherer's previous order.

Lubbock groaned before covering his face. "Don't worry about it. But as of now, Tsu is KOS." The sisters tensed up at the order while the newest members were confused.

"KOS?" Tatsumi wondered, looking at the blonde who Lubbock vaguely remembered being named Melody. She shrugged her shoulders to show her own lack of understanding, which made her chest bounce in a way that made Lubbock forget what he was trying to do momentarily.

"Pervert." Kurome seemed to notice his distracted state and figured out just what it was. God he hated her secret ability to read his mind and libido.

Akame ignored her sister's barbed word to explain the situation. "Tsu is to be killed on sight as a traitor to the Revolutionary Army."

* * *

Tsu wandered through the Capitol's streets, letting the moonlight touch his dull gray hair and fill him with its power. He sighed, hoping that no one noticed how his hair was gradually becoming whiter while he walked. Thankfully, no one seemed to be on these streets to witness the phenomenon.

It was where his Teigu gathered its power to let him move through his unending years, making him rather akin to plants in his need of a heavenly body to survive. Something he had neglected during his brief stay at Night Raid. _You never hear of trees forgetting to perform photosynthesis, dumbass_.

"Halt!" A voice shouted at him, making him realize where he stood: The entrance gate to the Imperial Palace. He looked at the two guards, clad in standard issue armor with spears pointed at him.

"Move." Tsu voice deepened with unquestionable authority, inflicting all the strength of his normally restrained emotions on them. He watched with some interest as they tried to ignore the effect of his words, their knees shaking as they fought to keep their feet from moving of their own accord.

He looked into their eyes and saw irritation and anger directed at him. Tsu looked up at the moon, considering his options. _Waning half-moon means that I'm not drawing in too much power, but it does mean I can really make a show out of this._

Tsu swept back his red cloak, letting the tattered robe and his bared arms be illuminated by the moonlight. Choosing to let his Retrace slowly move himself back to the point he needed to, Tsu knew he wasn't going to have to dip into his already stored power. He concentrated on the last time he had physically stood outside this gate: nearly 30 years ago. _Before my failure became certain_.

The guards watched in shock as the robe repaired itself before their eyes, the garment sealing itself up as the holes closed up. Soon it began to change colors, becoming more and more close to the pure white of Tsu's mother-of-pearl irises. When silver embroidery began to appear and the cloak faded out of existence, the guards felt a chill run down their spines. Soon enough the robe was complete.

Standing before them was Tsu, his luminescent white eyes and pure white hair fixed in an expression that could only be called regal. His robe had changed entirely, reflecting his new aura. White silk robes that nearly touched the ground now clad him, their lengthy sleeves reaching far enough to cover his hands. But what had the two guards transfixed was the gold belt that bound the robe at his waist and a silver Imperial Crest that was on display since it took up the entire chest of the robe.

Leveling his gaze at them again, Tsu looked ready to command them. "I am the Will of the Empire, he who stood with the First Emperor and was chosen to preside over his domain for time unending. Move or be gone from its glory." The two guards dropped to the ground in apologetic bows, cowed by the display of power from the mythical immortal Teigu wielder.

"Open the gates!" One of them managed to shout as Tsu stepped by them. He watched the gate climb with mild amusement before schooling his expression back into regal neutrality. If he was going to walk into Hell, he would do it with his head held high.

* * *

After confirming that he was no longer around, Najenda and Lubbock explained what had happened and who Tsu really was. All four of them took the news very hard, but it left Tatsumi utterly gutted. Once Najenda finished answering their questions, she sent Aria and Kurome off to meet up with a potential contract and let Akame and Tatsumi have time off to digest the news. Akame didn't see where Tatsumi stumbled off as she made her way to her room to think.

When she opened her door, she knew her room had been tampered with. Her bed, normally unmade with her pillow folded on top was all tucked in and spread out. With a letter sitting on top.

She saw her name on it, and immediately knew it was from Tsu. She should have torn it apart, but found herself reading it before she could process the thought.

 _Akame,_

 _You and everyone else there have a right to hate me. But do one thing for me. Keep Tatsumi alive. He's the one good thing I've ever done with my disappointing millennium and I don't want him to die because of me._

 _Consider it the payment to your god for your rebirth into a better world._

Akame froze, her eyes crossing over the line again. And again. She couldn't believe it. She thought that this wasn't the person who had given her a chance, and yet she was proven wrong. A sudden spot of fury bloomed inside her, which she quickly vented by tearing the letter to shreds.

"I'm not going to do it because you told me to, you pompous demon." She said to no one, "I'm going to do it because I love him."

Her conviction now burning in her veins, Akame set off to find him. Sprinting through the entire hideout, she found him outside sitting in the moonlight in front of his friend's graves. She slowed her pace, letting the noise of her movements dissipate. As she drew closer, she could see his shoulders heaving under barely restrained sobs.

"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit…" He kept repeating to himself, one fist unenthusiastically punching the ground between the graves. He didn't seem to acknowledge Akame's approach, not even noticing when she knelt next to him.

She pulled him into a hug before he seemed to notice her presence. He thrashed for a moment before relaxing into the comforting embrace. She waited as his sobs slowed and eventually stopped.

"Akame…" He started to say before she silently pulled his face close to hers. She stared into his tear-reddened eyes.

"We'll hunt him down and he will explain himself. We are owed that much." She told him, a determined look in her eyes.

"Why? Why would you do that for me? You only knew him for a little while-" His words were cut off by her lips pressing against his, silencing him as his instincts made him kiss back and close his eyes. After a few seconds, he realized what he was doing and pulled back. He opened his eyes as Akame opened her own eyes and gave him a questioning look, one that immediately made him feel guilty.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized before sprinting towards the hideout with more questions and emotions swirling within him than he had before. _Damnit!_

* * *

Akame realized it the moment that she had given in to her urge to kiss him and make his pain go away. That she had just pushed it too far. That she had scared him off.

And then he had kissed back, making every doubt in her mind fade. When he pulled away, she had almost grabbed him and forced him to continue, but she managed to restrain herself and just give him a questioning look.

His apology and prompt escape crushed her with the realization that everything she had done up to this point was now worthless. She had just lost.

* * *

For Tsu, the first few days after returning to the Imperial Court were very entertaining. After watching everyone cower at the mere sight of him, he was reminded of what he had been missing these past three decades: absolute authority. The years of gross hyperinflation of his reputation and the false information that made up most of his file in the Imperial Archives ensured that everyone who had some education was respectfully terrified to death of him. Which made explaining who he was and the significance of his return to the child that called himself Emperor a chore. But it had resulted in a celebratory dinner thrown in his honor, so it wasn't a total loss.

Of course for him, the daily affairs of the court were tedious since he had to take up his position as advisor opposite to Prime Minister Honest. Every time he heard the man lie, Tsu couldn't help but suppress a frown and the desire to punch him in his meat-swilling mouth.

After settling into what was going to be his life for some amount of time, Tsu made an interesting discovery by listening to the gossip of the servants. Apparently a certain captain of the Imperial Police was on the payroll of an oil merchant. A corrupt authority figure meant that someone was being oppressed. Which meant Night Raid was going to be called in, since they had to masquerade as an actual assassination organization to cover up their connections to the Revolutionary Army.

Tsu barely repressed a snort at the thought. Who seriously disguised their special operations forces as professional assassins? There was way too much that could go wrong with it, but at least it kept everyone in the Capitol on their toes. Which reminded him that there were some good drinking establishments not far from the Imperial Police garrison or the palace.

 _Time to start stalking the prey,_ he thought as he donned something more appropriate for drinking than his formal robes.

* * *

Tatsumi spent the days after Akame kissed him avoiding her to the absolute best of his abilities. Which meant that other than when they had to cook together, he pretty much disappeared. As much as it pained him to think it, he had to be glad that Tsu's rearing had always emphasized his skill to blend in, hide, and utterly vanish the moment someone failed to keep an eye on him. If only to avoid getting in trouble. Like he was now.

When Aria and Kurome returned, Najenda called everyone still in the base together to discuss their report. Tatsumi made the conscious choice to sit as far away from Akame as possible. Something that didn't escape her notice. Or her sister's. While Tatsumi only managed to look like he was still confused about the recent revelation, Akame's neutral expression hid any hint of what had happened.

Before Kurome could question either of them about the sudden distance, Najenda started her meeting. "All right, we've got an assignment. Aria, if you would." Najenda had taken the news that she was a former target surprisingly well, considering.

"A woman has requested we eliminate Captain Ogre of the Imperial Police and an oil merchant by the name of Gamal. The merchant bribes Ogre to cover up any crime he commits by using scapegoats, most recently including the woman's fiancé. He managed to tell her about it in a letter after being caught up in their trap."

Najenda lit a cigarette took a drag before replying, "Have you confirmed it?"

"Yes," Kurome cut in, "We both listened in from an attic while they struck a deal."

"Very well, Night Raid will accept the assignment and bring divine punishment. The new nation doesn't need treacherous people like them." Najenda stated while Aria set a large bag of money on the table.

Tatsumi couldn't believe that that much money could ever be collected. "She must have sold everything she had to pay this much."

Aria shook her head, disappointed. "I could sense the fact that she prostituted herself. She probably caught a venereal disease if she earned this much." Tatsumi froze, unable to deal with the idea.

Tatsumi let his hair shade his eyes, before speaking in a low voice, "Then we need to put a stop to it immediately."

Najenda smirked at Tatsumi's idealistic declaration. "So you're going to go take on Ogre? He's rather formidable. His nickname of Ogre the Demon was earned with his sword. On top of that, he's never far from the police garrison and spends almost all his time with his lackeys. When he's not on duty, he drinks on the Main Street near the palace."

"Then we strike on his day off." Tatsumi countered, trying to visualize an escape route for whoever was assigned.

"With security as tight as it is around the palace, we can't put Akame on this job. Aria, Lubbock, and Kurome can't do it either since they're too well-known in that area."

"Can this wait until Mien or the others return?" Akame volunteered, remembering the need to keep Tatsumi safe. Especially now that he was less skilled as a swordsman despite his much greater potential.

"In that case, I'll carry the mission out myself!" Tatsumi declared, fist striking the table.

Najenda couldn't keep a wry smile off of her face. "You'll do it alone? Better be ready to own up to those words."

Tatsumi's determined gaze met hers, full of fire. "I said I would do it, so I will. If we wait, more people will be falsely accused and then made to suffer." His eyes shifted to Kurome and Akame before returning to Najenda's. "I don't want people to lose the ones they care about. No one deserves that."

"Strong will and good looks. I like that." Najenda said while Lubbock frowned at the compliment. "You're tasked with killing Ogre. Akame and Aria are going to take Gamal since I want to see how she handles herself." The two girls nodded before Akame led Aria out of the room, intent on completing the mission.

Kurome was about to speak when she coughed. The cough turned into an intense string of painful chest-heaving coughs that knocked her to the floor.

"Lubbock! Medical room, now!" Najenda ordered the only other person in the room. The green-haired boy didn't hesitate, scooping up the clearly ill girl before he streaked out of the room like he'd been set on fire.

Once that was taken care of, Najenda squared away her concerns and focused on Tatsumi, "Now a quick run-down of mission protocol…."

* * *

Lubbock shouldered the door open while Kurome started to shiver in his arms, muscles beginning to spasm against her conscious control.

"Damnit!" He cursed as he carefully laid Kurome down on one of the open tables. He should have known better than to think that Tsu had actually cured her. He began to tear the room apart, looking for something that could give him a clue as to what the traitor had done.

After his thorough and hasty inspection, all he found was a large bottle of blue-gray liquid sealed with wax and what looked like notes.

He scanned the documents for any relevant information, before finding what he was looking for.

 _Patient: Kurome_

 _Complaint: Experimental Drug addiction. (Analyzed)_

 _Treatment: Administer 20ccs of cure each day until supply has run out. At which point the cycle of addiction will be broken._ _ **Warning: Failure to administer the full course will cause fatal relapse in patient.**_

 _Notes: Melody, keep the bottle safe or we're all screwed._

"Damned asshole couldn't make a simple cure!" Lubbock cursed, declaring his hatred of Tsu while Kurome curled up and moaned in pain, the agonies of withdrawal tearing her apart. Knowing that he had no choice, he frantically grabbed a syringe and filled it with the blue-gray liquid. Hoping that he wasn't signing her death certificate, Lubbock grabbed her arm, restraining her for a moment before plunging the needle into her. A hissed whimper escaped her lips when he pressed the plunger, but it quickly faded as her symptoms came to an abrupt halt.

Kurome sat up, slightly dazed. She saw Lubbock looking at her with concern, and could feel something digging into her arm. She looked and was shocked to see a syringe still sticking out of her there.

"You inject me with something again, I'm breaking every bone you have." Her deadly threat was met by Lubbock's annoyed but relieved expression.

After he removed the needle and bandaged the injection site, Lubbock found himself alone in the office. After closing the door, he reached into his coat and pulled out a half-crumpled letter with his name on it.

He sighed, wondering just what Tsu was doing writing him a letter. After making sure it wasn't booby-trapped in any manner, Lubbock opened it, reading the words of a certain bastard.

* * *

Gamal made his way out of the restroom of the pleasure palace, a smile on his toad-like face lit by the evening's lanterns.

"After that, maybe I should get one of the girls to get me off one last time." He said to himself, only to feel an immense weight trap his body. He could only manage to shift his eyes with extreme effort, only to see a blond girl in a red cloak and the legendary assassin Akame.

"Greed weighs its targets down, but apparently your secondary corrupt nature evolved it into full paralysis. Interesting." The blond stated, her flat gaze fixed on Gamal. Akame didn't say a word as she stabbed Gamal in the chest, killing him instantly. The body stayed upright for a moment before it slumped to the ground.

Akame looked at Aria, appreciating the girl's strange but multi-faceted abilities. It had been because of her nobility connections that they had found out Gamal would be there tonight and been given free access, making killing him that much easier. "I'm quite interested to keep seeing the effects of your Shingu."

"If you want, I can show you my journal with all of the combinations I've already figured out." She offered the veteran assassin. Which worried Akame.

"I thought you only knew Tsu for a day before arriving at Night Raid?" She questioned, an unsettling feeling building in her stomach.

Aria tilted her head in confusion, a look that might have been cute had it not implied such serious matters. "He saved me nearly a year ago. What are you talking about?"

* * *

Captain Ogre stepped out of the tavern where he just finished drinking an odd boy under the bar, quite happy to have had a successful day between that and an interrogation of a prisoner. He waded through the night crowd of Main Street, enjoying the buzz of the alcohol in his system.

"Excuse me, Master Ogre!" A voice called out to him, making him turn. He saw a boy in a white coat with his hood up, trying to not look at Ogre's scar.

"What do you want boy?"

"It's something rather sensitive, can we talk in a back alley?" the boy requested, dropping his eyes to his boots.

The captain sighed, before using his head to indicate where they could talk.

Once there, Ogre fixed the boy with his steely gaze.

"Now what is it that you want?"

The boy dropped to his knees, bowing his head. "Please let me into the garrison! I need this chance!"

Ogre shook his head and turned away from the pathetic sight. One that was becoming more and more frequent. "Go through the normal process. If you have any skill, that is."

Ogre heard the scrape of a blade in its sheath and turned, pulling out his own sword. But before he could block the incoming attack, the breeze of his attacker passing caressed his face. He felt the blade tear into his chest, a near impossible thing. He turned as he fell, amazed to see the pathetic boy holding a bloodied shortsword.

 _That boy has an unwavering strength to think he can challenge me. How can I fall to someone so weak?_

* * *

Tatsumi heard Ogre drop to the ground, satisfied that he had made his first kill as a Night Raid member.

"And he was supposed to be formidable? I'm kind of disappointed." Tatsumi declared to the night air. Until he remembered Najenda's explanation, "Oh, wait. I need to make my report before its mission complete."

He took a step towards the entrance of the alley when he saw him. Tsu was standing there in a closed black waistcoat with gray pants and black boots. The older man noticed Tatsumi in the alley, his arm blurring into motion.

Tatsumi froze, suddenly aware of a mass of killing intent behind him. He turned and raised his sword, ready to block. Only to be distracted by the thud of a glass bottle striking flesh.

Ogre was momentarily stunned by the bottle of alcohol striking his forehead, but he recovered as Tsu, the strange boy he had been drinking with charged at him, right past the boy trying to kill him.

He didn't hesitate to stab Tsu in the chest, casually throwing the body aside with its momentum before returning his focus to Tatsumi. The captain swung at him, blood trailing his blade. The green-eyed boy jumped into the air to avoid the attack, feeling something he had only felt once before. Hatred. And it was directed at Ogre.

He called on every ounce of speed he could muster, built up over his years with Tsu's relentless training and harsher punishments. Ogre barely felt the next strike that severed his arms, seemingly amazed that they had cut off. Tatsumi landed while the detached limbs pinwheeled through the air, artfully painting the alley in blood.

 _People who flaunt their authority. And take what's precious to us._ He thought as he moved. His sword flashed out to strike his defenseless opponent, cutting him down with a vicious collection of slashes. _I will cut you all to pieces!_

Ogre's body dropped into a puddle of his own blood, which left Tatsumi all alone in the alley.

"Old man!" He remembered, starting to franticly look for him.

"This is why I didn't want you to be a fighter." A slurred voice from the mouth of the alley scolded Tatsumi. "You're confident in skills you don't actually have yet. Just like me."

Tatsumi turned to see Tsu standing there, not even a hint of the wound on him or his clothes. The newly-minted assassin glowered, letting his hair shade his eyes. "Old man…"

"Let me have a sappy parental moment brat, you're not going to get one otherwise." Tsu declared, taking a drunkard's stumble towards him. Tatsumi rolled his eyes as he remembered his caregiver's fondness for overdrinking and low tolerance. "I'm sorry."

Tatsumi couldn't respond to the apology, as he was too worried that he had been killed by Ogre because there was no way in his lifetime that Tsu would apologize.

"I'm sorry I hid my past from you. My life is one full of regrets and mistakes but I want you to know that you aren't one of them. Believe me when I say that. So stop that wavering in your heart and commit without doubt." Having delivered his message, Tsu turned to leave.

"Wait!" Tatsumi called out, making his former caretaker pause. "Why? Just give me a goddamn reason why you did all of this after everything. Who are you really?"

"Two things: Enemies are best kept closer; and when you find yourself stuck in a cage, makes sure you have someone on the outside to unlock it." With his final wisdom delivered, Tsu disappeared into the night crowd. Leaving Tatsumi with no other choice than to return to the hideout and report his kill.

* * *

Back at the base, Tatsumi returned to find Akame and Aria waiting alongside Najenda. After giving his report, Tatsumi turned to leave, hoping that he could make sense of what Tsu had told him. He found his escape route cut off by Akame, who was looking at him with an inscrutable expression.

He flushed at the close proximity, reminded of the last time they had been that close. "I'm fine Akame. Not even a scratch from Ogre." He made to step past her, closing his eyes. Until a powerful force pulled his shirt and arms above his head. "Akame!"

"Aria, Boss… Please hold him still." She requested of the others in the room. Aria considered it for a moment before heading over to help, while Najenda happily joined in with a smirk. Working together, they soon had Tatsumi down to nothing but his boxers. Akame circled him, inspecting his body for any sign of injury. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tatsumi knew it was only fair that she get to look at him like he had when she was wearing her bikini last week. But that didn't stop a rampant blush from overtaking his face.

After she finished her inspection she turned away from him. "I'm glad. One of my friends died because he didn't report a poisoned wound. And with how high the mortality rate for first missions are, I wasn't sure if you really would make it back. "

Tatsumi realized that she hadn't kissed him because she liked him, it was her way of comforting him so he could focus through his mission. And it made his chest ache in a way he had never felt before.

"Please keep returning safely." She advised before walking out of the room, leaving Tatsumi to figure out what they did with his clothes.

* * *

 _In the Capitol…._

Several days after the assassination of Captain Ogre, the Main Street was finally opened and two people stood waiting for the guards of the Imperial Palace to finally let them in.

"If I didn't have to bring you, I wouldn't. Letting a pervert loose in a place of nobility is too dangerous. Especially with the amount of guards." Kurome told Lubbock, who stoically took her insult. Kurome studied him out of the corner of her eye, wondering what could have made him so much more pathetic than usual.

"Well, the invitation said 'Kurome and her personal tracker' so it isn't like I have much choice." Lubbock replied, shifting the rifle on his back to a more comfortable position. Ever since he had read Tsu's letter, he wasn't quite sure what to think. _Why would he warn us about spies in our ranks, and even give us the evidence we need to independently determine its veracity? Who is the Will of the Empire, really?_

"You can go in." A guard stated, making the green-haired assassin snap out of his musings. Signaling with his head to follow, Lubbock led Kurome into the palace, following the instructions that had been delivered to them via a courier waiting at the Capitol's gate for them. When they found the room they were supposed to be in, they took a second to collect themselves. Once they were prepared, Kurome opened the door into a room lit with brilliant sunlight. Standing in the room was Tsu, dressed in a full length robe with the Imperial crest on it.

"Welcome Assassin Kurome, and… I don't believe I saw your name in any of my reports." The white-haired man said, a conversational smile on his face.

"Just call me Tracker, since that's my name." Lubbock played along while Kurome kept a hand on the handle of Yatsufusa. Tsu nodded before pushing back one of his sleeves to reveal a thick file.

"I am the Will of the Empire and after our saddening loss of Captain Ogre, I have been chosen to take command of the Imperial Police and aid in your investigation since it is suspected to be an attack by Night Raid." He extended the file to Lubbock. Kurome relaxed and waited for Lubbock's assessment.

Lubbock opened the file and began to leaf through it, a sense of impossible wrongness settling inside of him. Inside the file was the patrol routes and rosters of the Imperial police for the next month, alongside dossiers of nobles who were suspected of abusing their positions. Lubbock fixed Tsu with a wide-eyed stare, not comprehending whether this was an act of faith or masterful baiting.

"Though these are only our initial findings, I do hope that we can continue to work together." Tsu gave an earnest smile to both assassins.

 _Who the hell are you really?_

* * *

 **Lubbock's question, Tsu's apparent defection, and confused teen feelings. Man this was an intense chapter.**

 **Please take the time to review as it helps me refine the edges of this story.**


	5. Kill the Destiny

**So what's up? Besides the whole twist that just showed up last chapter. But anyways, new chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Tatsumi couldn't decide what was the worst part of the weeks after killing Ogre. Training and censuring with Mien had been depressingly enlightening as well as stressful to the point he nearly filled Pumpkin's barrel with spice to get back at her. The only good thing that came out of it: throwing knife training, because he was apparently a natural with the ranged blades and even Mien couldn't insult him for that. But she could insult how terrible he was with a pistol.

Then there were the rumors about Tsu, or rather, the Will of the Empire; fresh back from a journey across the Empire and he had already been given control over the entire judicial system, the Imperial Police, and the prisons. A very scary thought to both enemies and allies of the Empire thanks to the urban legends and historical texts surrounding him. Tatsumi was still trying to figure out what Tsu had been talking about, but at least the supply of information that Lubbock was getting from him explained his need to be so covert about his activities before he left. Not that it justified anything in Tatsumi's mind.

Last, but certainly not the least on his mind and heart: Akame. While they managed to act civil and cordial while others were around, neither of them wanted to have their much-needed private talk about the kiss and what it meant. Something he was both dreading and hoping for, if only to make peace with one of his few remaining childhood friends. If he could still call her that.

Tatsumi shook his head to try and clear it. _Is this what he meant by wavering? Not knowing what to do or think?_

"Tatsumi, you've got that look in your eye." Bulat told him, leaning across the table to emphasize his point. "If you're that stressed, let's go do another round of training." They had already done a session earlier, but whenever either of them had the time or need, they would go for additional time.

Tatsumi looked around, and caught sight of the telltale flutter of Akame's long, silky black hair returning from somewhere. A corresponding pang in his heart confirmed it was her once his glimpse of her was gone.

"Sure, Bro." He replied, giving a nod and smile to his current mentor and role model. The former soldier replied with a smile of his own.

* * *

Akame continued walking, doing her best to ignore the pain in her heart. Tatsumi had been avoiding her at all costs since she had kissed him, and now it hurt to look, much less think about him.

 _What's the point? I might have come back to save everyone, but without him, does it really mean anything to me?_

Akame stomped out the melancholic line of thought and turned towards Aria's room. Knocking quietly before entering, Akame was mildly surprised to see Kurome inside. She was sitting on Aria's bed with her head turned away, receiving her daily injection of the "cure regime" that Tsu had created before he had been forced to leave.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She apologized to the two girls already inside the room before joining in.

"No, it's fine." Aria replied, already covering the spot with a bandage that matched the ones already dotting Kurome's arm.

"What's wrong Onee-chan? You've been avoiding Tatsu-nii for a while." Kurome questioned her older sister, fixing her with a look that said she wasn't going to avoid this.

Akame sighed before deciding to sit on the bed next to them, knowing that it would be better to tell them rather than let them force it out of her.

* * *

Najenda found the squad of Revolutionary spies she was looking to meet with not far from their rendezvous point. But all that remained of them was a heavily wounded man, clutching the information that they had been sent to obtain.

"Well done. Are there any others still alive?" She questioned the spy, noting that his wounds were fatal.

"I'm the only one left." He extended a red slip of paper. "This is a list of sympathizers who will support us when the revolution starts."

"I can take it from here." She accepted the paper, silently offering up a prayer for the dying man.

"General Najenda, please…. Ensure the Revolution…" His last words slipped out and his body went limp.

"We'll save this country from itself, no matter what." She promised the dead man before slipping away, knowing that the Imperials hunting the spies weren't going to be too far behind.

* * *

Lubbock and Tsu sat in an outdoor café not far from the Imperial Palace, sharing tea in the day's sun.

"Don't you have court duties or something to be overlooking?" Lubbock questioned, shifting his gray coat open to alleviate some of his warmth. He was starting to wonder how long he could play his role since Kurome wasn't around.

Tsu raised an amused eyebrow but kept the rest of his face neutral through some manner. "I'm merely obtaining a report from one of my subordinates since his superior is still out in the field, what part of that isn't work?"

"Uh-huh. But it's not like anyone could suspect you anyways. Especially with what happened to Domestic Administrator Shoui and his family." Lubbock looked at Tsu's impassive face, remembering how the poor official and his entire family had publicly disappeared at the literal wave of the white-haired man's hand. A simple but incredibly effective show; one that gave Lubbock some hints to the full capabilities of Tsu and his mystery Teigu.

"That was regrettable. For someone so close to the Emperor to go mad mere days after the deaths of Iokal and his guards. It seems Night Raid is so powerful it is driving people to madness." Tsu's eyes seemed mirthful, and Lubbock found himself questioning what the immortal seemed to find funny.

"But anyways, I've been meaning to ask," Lubbock leaned forward, lowering his voice, "If you're really on our side, why haven't you killed the Prime Minister?"

Tsu's eyes hardened into a glare before softening with regret. "I'm sworn to not raise my hand in war or anger. And I can't really **_go back_** on my word. No matter my feelings on the subject." Though his tone was neutral, the information gatherer could practically taste the rage and killing intent exuding from his acquaintance. "But more to the point, I wanted to warn you about the serial killer running loose in our streets." Tsu pulled a file from his voluminous robes and set it on the table. His green-haired contact nudged it open with a finger and stared at the face pictured there.

"Zanku. Former executioner of the biggest prison in the Empire. Now a wanted felon for stealing the warden's Teigu and multiple murders." Lubbock read aloud, scanning more of the pages inside the file. "What's the Teigu?'

"Spected, an eye-shaped piece of headgear with five modes. All that I really remember about it is two of the modes. Farsight lets the user to see across incredible distances no matter the conditions. And then 'Hidden Vision' allows you to scan your opponent for concealed weapons. Which is likely why it was trusted to the warden."

"Thanks for the information. My employer should be able to use this." Lubbock stood up, grabbing the file to take along.

Tsu waited until Lubbock was nearly out of earshot before he spoke. "Somedays I wish I could just go home and enjoy a nice proper vacation. With how empty it is, I doubt anyone would be able to stop me from meditating."

Lubbock filed the information away. _Restricted from taking actual combative actions as a side-effect of his Teigu? Very unique, but fitting for a Teigu designed to grant immortality to anyone. But what was he talking about going home? His order was wiped out and their monastery destroyed…._

* * *

Tatsumi threw another knife at the target, annoyed at how wide his current spread was from the bullseye. He growled and threw his hands up, feeling a tick mark growing on his forehead.

"Newbie, quit screwing around!" A certain pink haired sniper yelled at him, walking around the hideout into view. Tatsumi jumped and settled, still unadjusted to Mien's new hairstyle. Since his knife had unbalanced her twin tails, she had taken them out and cut her hair to shoulder length. A decent choice in his opinion because she actually looked her age.

"Oh, hey Mien." Tatsumi sulked as he walked over to the target and started pulling out the knives, stuffing into various hiding spots on his person.

"According to the Bulat and Leone, you've been stressed and distracted lately. I'm only over here because they seem to think I can straighten you out." Mien complained, taking a seat to watch as Tatsumi returned to his spot and started another round of throws.

After a particularly bad throw that caused his knife to go flying off into the surrounding woods, Tatsumi decided to drop to the ground, his body limp despite all his inner emotional tensing. "Ggggaaahhhh!" He shouted out his frustrations to the heavens, startling his tsundere observer.

"Just let me know when you're going to act responsible enough to ask your hardworking superior for her opinion." She gave the hint to him. She still felt her prediction about him bringing more stress to Akame's life was right but she had been wrong about him not having skill. A point she had a hard time accepting, but was slowly adjusting to.

An exhausted grunt emanated from Tatsumi as he curled into a ball facing away from her. She felt a tick mark grow on her forehead at the childish behavior.

"Fine, act that way somewhere else. As your superior, I can send you into another series using this roulette board!" A large wheel labelled with dozens of manga appeared behind Mien **(A/N: See Manga Chapter 4 for visual** _ **)**_. The declaration made Tatsumi jump to his feet and turn to her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not be too hasty here." He panicked, blanching at the giant slices devoted to horror series.

"Then talk. Or if you don't, you just have to hope you land on one of the more moe series." Mien gave him a smug grin, knowing she had forced the issue.

Tatsumi sighed. "Akame and I… got into a minor argument." He saw Mien's hand tense on the wheel. "Nothing serious!" He sweatdropped, hoping he could convince her. "And we haven't really talked about it since."

Mien snorted and stepped away from the wheel. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged his face close to hers. "Fix it."

"How?"

"I don't care how, just fix it!" She shook him a little to get her point across. "You're one of Akame's only friends from before she got forcibly recruited into that assassin-training organization. Everyone other than her and Kurome died in that program! So think about that!" She pulled him extra close, and Tatsumi noticed what appeared to be tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "For whatever reason, she thinks you're important to her. So don't you dare hurt her unless you want the last thing you'll ever see to be Pumpkin's barrel!" The short girl shook from the force of her words, breaths panting out of her.

"What's this?" A new voice said, making them both turn to see Leone standing nearby. And looking quite pleased. "I came to tell you that Lubbock's back and we have a meeting, but you two are quite clearly busy. I never thought Mien could be so bold."

The two of them looked down, realized how close they were standing and jumped apart with rampant blushes.

"Like hell I would want to be that close to this stupid hick!" Mien stubbornly defended herself, while Tatsumi felt pierced by her words.

"What are you talking about shrimp?" He fired back automatically, striking at Mien's sensitivity to her size.

Leone stepped in before they could come to blows, dragging the still squabbling pair to the meeting.

* * *

Tatsumi decided that everyone was in on this. After the meeting to determine what Night Raid was going to do in response to Zanku the Executioner, he had been subtly encouraged to pair up with Akame.

 _Subtle my ass_ , he snorted, remembering Mien's death glare and Bulat's forceful push. Even Aria and Kurome had dragged Akame to stand next to Tatsumi.

Now he was patrolling the empty streets with her and no one else. _Great._

"At least there aren't any civilians out because of this guy." He observed, doing his best to battle the silence between them.

"Mhmm." Akame mumbled, barely acknowledging him. He let his frustrations show on his face since he was behind her. Until she whipped around and grabbed him, pulling him around the edge of an alley.

* * *

Akame pressed her gloved hand over Tatsumi's mouth, keeping any of his complaints muffled while the Capital Guards passed by, conducting a patrol of their own. Once she couldn't hear their footsteps, she relaxed and realized what she was currently doing. She separated from him as fast as possible, worried that she had once again driven him away. They faced away from each other, awkwardly blushing and sneaking looks at each other.

"I need to take a leak!" Tatsumi abruptly shouted, hurrying out of the alley in search of a quieter place. Akame paused, remembering what had happened when Tatsumi had left her sight during the first time she had been through this event.

"Tatsumi!" She took off after him, trying to pick up his trail. She caught a flash of him disappearing down an alley, and gave chase using her superior speed. She caught up to him as he exited the alley into a wide plaza and stopped near the center. "Tatsumi! Don't leave your partner's side."

She reached out for him and barely had time to react to her sense of danger screaming. A hidden blade clipped her hand, cutting her palm. She swallowed the pain and focused on her opponent, who dispelled his illusion.

"My, my. Akame of Night Raid, I wasn't trying to catch you. But to think that you were looking for that delicious-looking boy makes me wonder just how killing you will taste." Zanku stated, switching his Spected to a different setting.

"Zanku, you are a danger to innocent people and to the future country. As such, I will eliminate you." She pointed Murasame at him, unsure how this fight was going to go.

They clashed at a silent signal, her blade crossing with his in a clash of sparks. They fought at a frenzied pace, each of their blades' meetings drawing forth screeches and more sparks. After she managed to clear her mind to force him to use a different mode, Akame thought she could draw the fight out. But Akame could feel each strike as he scored glancing hit after glancing hit, opening minor wounds on her legs and arms.

They continued to clash, Zanku keeping all of Akame's attacks at bay thanks to Spected's abilities to read both minds and muscle movements. Before long, Akame found herself forced onto the defensive before she felt it. A hard boot met her knee with a sickening crack that instantly told her leg was done. She collapsed to the ground, still ready to block as Zanku stepped back. He tilted his head predatorily, like he was savoring the kill.

"Tell me Akame, how do you deal with the voices? It might buy you enough time for your friends to arrive." Zanku chatted with her, letting the hidden blades stay at his side. He could kill her at his leisure now, so why wouldn't he enjoy it?

"What makes you think I would indulge someone as despicable as you?" She responded, edging herself away from him with one hand. He maintained a distance from her, stepping exactly as far as she managed to pull herself.

He laughed, great manic whoops that echoed around the plaza. "Because you're like me. You've killed so many. Don't their voices call out for you to join them in Hell?"

Akame locked eyes with the former headsman. "I don't hear any, you failure of an executioner. So you're out of luck, gutter rat." Her taunt had the intended effect, blinding him with rage. He made to strike at Akame and take her head for his collection. Only for the blades to catch on a familiar shortsword wielded by Tatsumi as he stood above Akame. Her eyes widened, wondering when he had realized they had been separated.

"Tatsumi." Relief flooded into Akame, only to be replaced by fear. What chance did he stand against Zanku's ability to read any incoming attack? This was a battle between Teigu wielders and she had practically lost already.

"I told you, I wouldn't leave you alone now that I've found you." Tatsumi told her, pushing back Zanku with brute strength. The executioner seemed stunned that Tatsumi had arrived and pushed him away from his kill. Something that he wouldn't have expected from the morsel he had initially targeted.

"How?" They watched Zanku's eye switch to X-ray mode, likely scanning for any hidden weapons.

Tatsumi smiled at the question. "Prey sense! The ability to know when you're pursued. I felt Akame chase after me like Tsu used to, only for she stopped for some reason. Then I remembered all the things Tsu told me about eyes and our reports on your Teigu. At that point, it was just me finding you."

"Pretty smart for a country hick." Zanku's words made Tatsumi's ahoge twitch in annoyance and a tick mark to appear on his forehead.

"Regret those words!" He declared, lunging straight at Zanku with pure rage. They started their deadly dance, Tatsumi's raw passion augmented by Bulat's strength training while Zanku relied on his Teigu's ability to anticipate every strike. Zanku managed to land the first blow, but Tatsumi's ferocity would occasionally land one of his own before they clashed again. But they started to wear each other down quickly, opening gashes in each other's clothes and skin.

They stepped back and began to circle, a strange reddish haze filling the air between them. A strong wind started to blow through the area, making the haze spread and grow thicker around them, even reaching Akame's spot.

She felt her mouth and eyes water as the haze swept over her, stinging at every open wound it touched.

"What? Is this?" She coughed out her question, feeling like her lungs were catching fire. She could only imagine how it felt in the heart of the cloud, where Tatsumi and Zanku were.

"A very special blend of spices I perfected for the purpose of repaying Tsu for his terrible parenting. Problem was he always got immune to it and I ramped it up, so before I knew it we were the only two that could stand its intensity. I call it "Fireball Sand" because of the way it burns everything even when it's only a single grain." Tatsumi proclaimed, totally immune to the irritating effects of the spice cloud. His opponent reeled, tears streaming from his eyes as he fought to breathe.

"That won't exactly work." Zanku stepped back to a spot where the cloud was thinner before switching Spected to its illusion eye. "Can you harm your most precious person?"

"Tatsumi, don't fall for it!" Akame screamed before being reduced to a cough. She could only watch as Tatsumi made his way towards Zanku, sword lowered while Zanku readied his own blades.

"This illusion might only work on one target, but it's an absolute! Die looking at you loved one's face!" The executioner sprung at Tatsumi, aiming for his neck. Even Akame thought he was going to kill him since Tatsumi didn't make an effort to get away.

But Tatsumi dodged at the last second by ducking under the swing, his own sword plunging into Zanku's chest. The insane man was shocked to find himself now dying instead of his would-be victim. The illusion was dispelled, and Zanku could only question it. "Why? Why were you able to strike at me?"

Tatsumi shoved the executioner's weighty body from his blade, a look of rage on his face. "Do you really think I can't tell an illusion from the person I love?"

"Ha…" Zanku smiled, his breaths growing shorter. "The voices… they've stopped. Thank…" And he died, a peaceful smile on his face as he lay in his own blood.

After confirming that Zanku was dead, Tatsumi reached into his coat and pulled out several large packs of spices that were leaking their contents into the now dying wind. He dropped them with a small puff before running to Akame's side. He waved away any lingering spice clouds, kneeling down to inspect her injuries.

"Should have known better than to leave you alone." He blamed himself as started to tend to her various injuries. "And sorry, for avoiding you." Akame couldn't see his eyes behind his hair, but she could sense his sincerity. "But I need to know, what did it mean? To you?"

"What did what mean?" Akame knew he was talking about the kiss, but she couldn't bring herself to answer.

"The kiss…" Before Akame could stop it, Tatsumi leaned and pecked a kiss onto her lips. A simple, almost cold action meant to comfort or startle. "Did it mean that? Or…" He went in again, this time capturing her lips with a shared moan. Akame could barely hold herself in check as she felt his passion in the kiss. When they separated, he brought a hand to her cheek. "Did it mean that?" He tilted his head and stared into her red eyes, praying that she would understand.

Akame let her self-restraint fail, reaching up a hand to caress his before using her other one to force him close enough to kiss again. She then locked her arms behind his head as their lips crashed together in a desperate act of understanding. They continued like that for several minutes before Akame heard the faint sound of a patrol coming towards them. She could barely force herself to stop the kiss, separating from him with great reluctance.

"Tatsumi, they're coming. Grab the Teigu and then we can leave." Akame ordered him with a weak voice. He snapped out of the daze that the kiss had left him in. He picked her up with some effort before making his way over to the body. He bent down so Akame could rip it from his head.

Hearing them getting closer, Akame told him to hurry. After shifting her in his arms, he ran away as fast as he could.

* * *

Back at base, everyone was shocked to see Akame's injury and hear that Tatsumi had landed the final blow. While Aria and Lubbock treated Akame's injuries, everyone else gave Tatsumi something of a party for managing to find a way to beat Zanku without a Teigu. Unused to the praise, he alternated between blushing and pompously puffing his chest up. By the time that everything calmed down, the news that Akame wouldn't be able to walk unaided for about a week dispelled some of the good mood. Tatsumi immediately declared himself her caretaker as he was the one who was supposed to be watching out for her. Which prompted Leone to comment.

"Try not to be too loud." She whispered in his ear, bringing a tomato red blush to his face while he tried to stutter out a response.

Mien gave them both a look of scrutiny before making her own proclamation. "It's the least he could do for screwing up." Everyone in the room sweatdropped, while Tatsumi managed to reign in his temper and realized that Mien was giving her own blessing to the act.

After helping Akame to her room, Tatsumi closed the door and sat on her bed looking at her. "I'm going to be honest, I was avoiding you because I couldn't sort out my own feelings. It's been so long since I had that little crush on you when we were all freed. I only felt like I could trust you since the old man was an adult, like our parents who all sold us." Akame sat quietly, absorbing Tatsumi's words. "But when we met up at Aria's home, I nearly cried because of how happy I was to see you again. Every time we were together, I couldn't help but be amazed that my only childhood friend ended up becoming such a beautiful and deadly girl."

"Tatsumi, I..." Akame started to respond to the compliment. But Tatsumi motioned for her to wait.

"And when you kissed me, I couldn't tell whether you did it to break me out of that downward spiral or because you actually liked me. Even then I needed to figure out how I felt about you. And I've decided: I love you Akame. Right now, I swear to you that I won't die or leave you behind. You and I will survive to the end of this war and make a better future for ourselves and everyone else." He reached out and took her hands in his. And he let his eyes meet hers with his brightest smile.

Akame couldn't hold back anymore and let a few tears slip out. "I love you too Tatsumi. And don't ever change." She pulled into a hug, only wanting to hold him close. He happily returned the hug, thinking that he had finally made his choice. And he was going to follow through.

* * *

Tsu looked across the café table at a recently-arrived Lubbock and Kurome. He waited until they were seated before speaking.

"So who was paired with Tatsumi when they killed Zanku?" The question made them jump slightly, as they weren't expecting him to know anything about that yet.

"So you got the report that he was killed then?" Lubbock asked, signaling their usual waiter to get them their drinks.

"It didn't take them long since I'm the one who issued the alert and civilian curfew. But you still didn't answer my question." His luminescent eyes went to Kurome, where they tinged with something the assassins couldn't identify. "And it looks like you're doing quite well."

Kurome moved a hand over the bandages that covered most of her upper arm now, slightly embarrassed and annoyed. "It's not like I have much else to work with."

"Well, you should have seen the court this morning. Honest was already annoyed about the failure to stop Night Raid and then a messenger arrived and told us about the defection of two generals. On top of that, apparently a clan of trackers he sent to find Night Raid's hideout were found dead and buried in a road not far from the Capital's gates. Oh, it was quite a shock." While Tsu's tone and face didn't betray its neutrality, his eyes were full of happiness and warmth. Lubbock had learned that the white-haired man enjoyed watching the Prime Minister panic and fret.

"Well, how did you know it was Tatsu-nii? There weren't any eyewitnesses." Kurome questioned, narrowing her eyes. If the Imperial Police had any evidence to identify more Night Raid members, it would only make everyone's jobs harder.

Tsu snorted. "He left a few pouches of 'Fireball Sand' near the corpse, like an idiot." But Tsu sighed before continuing. "It probably made up for the difference between them. Luckily, all anyone seems to think they are some random effects of Zanku's. Not that I had anything to do with that."

Kurome and Lubbock nodded, impressed at Tsu's skills at denying his meddling. Lubbock coughed into his hand to signal that the waiter was returning. A cup of coffee was set in front of Tsu, a cup of tea in front of Lubbock, and what looked like hot chocolate in front of Kurome. After the waiter left, Kurome started to pour sugar into her drink. Tsu's eyes widened as she continued to add more.

"So why the meeting? Couldn't just send us the usual files?" Lubbock questioned, reminding him of their normal procedures. And way too used to Kurome's sweet tooth to react like the white-eyed man.

"Two reasons. One, Honest went behind my back and gave a Teigu to one of the Imperial Garrison Police recruits and now he's keeping who it is from me. And succeeding." Tsu shot a dirty look into his coffee before gulping it down. "And much worse, he's ordered Esdeath's return to the Capital after she finishes her conquest of the North."

* * *

Spending his days alternating between helping Akame, doing both of their chores, and additional training with Sheele started to wear on Tatsumi. Not that he didn't enjoy it. Every moment spent with Akame gave him a reason to train so hard to keep his promise to her. But it was utterly exhausting to do both of their chores and help Akame after Sheele's crazy exercises. Like swimming in full-body armor. But after everything, Sheele offered to tell him her history.

 _I guess we all have our scars_ , Tatsumi thought after Sheele explained how she had become an assassin.

"Tatsumi." Akame's melodic voice snapped him back into the moment. He looked at everyone circled around him, waiting to see what would happen. He looked at Najenda who was extending Spected to him.

"So I'm finally getting my own Teigu?" Tatsumi couldn't keep a goofy grin off of his excited face.

"Because they take so much physical and psychological strength, only one can be used by anyone at any time, so it's not like anyone else can use it." Lubbock explained, while Tatsumi felt a swell of pride at the faith in him.

He reached out for Spected and touched it to his forehead. He felt the eye take hold, then opened it.

"Since Tsu's information was incomplete, we need you to test the other functions." Najenda requested of Tatsumi.

"It has the power to read minds, right? Why not try it on me?" Akame volunteered, a slight blush on her face. Tatsumi turned to her, activating Spected's mind-reading function.

 _I love you._ The words brought a rampant blush to his face, which he covered by tiling his head upwards and dramatically proclaiming his verdict. "You want to eat meat tonight!... That's what you're thinking."

Akame sighed with relief that he hadn't exposed them and smiled. "Perfect." Most of the others seemed unimpressed, suspecting Tatsumi of tricking them.

"Okay then, let's try this one." He willed it to switch to X-ray and nearly lost all the blood that had collected in his cheeks out of his nose. In his vision, Akame was only wearing a bra, panties, and her knee socks.

"Strapless and lacy…" He muttered before something seemed to pull all the energy out of his legs. "Huh?"

"It's rejecting him!" Lubbock pointed to a trickle of blood coming out of Tatsumi's ear and nose. The brown-haired boy fell to his knees, no longer able to stand.

"Hurry up and take it off!" Akame ordered him, hobbling forward while Lubbock pulled the Teigu off of Tatsumi before the boy slumped into Akame's waiting arms.

"Getting cuddly in public? Bold." Leone remarked, only to be overlooked in the wave of concern from everyone else.

"It's incompatible with you." Najenda seemed slightly disappointed at the fact. "Guess that means we'll have to send it to the Revolutionary Army's HQ. Sorry rookie, guess it wasn't meant to be."

"Our sub-mission is the collection of Teigu, on top of assassinations." Mien explained while she coordinated with Akame to get him to his feet. "With cases like Zanku, we take the Teigu or destroy it so the Empire can't have it."

"Anything for an edge, right?" Tatsumi replied, his head still spinning from the Teigu's backlash. He really just wanted the room to stop spinning.

Najenda reached out and grabbed a research journal. "Read this. Memorize all the Teigu in here." She tossed it to Tatsumi, who failed to catch and had it bounce off his head. Which knocked him back into Akame, causing them to tumble down and Tatsumi to end up cradling Akame to his chest with one hand and cradling her chest with the other.

Aria covered Sheele's eyes with her hands, doing her best to not look herself. Mien and Kurome immediately tackled, gagged, and blinded Lubbock to ensure the pervert stood no chance. Bulat courteously looked away, while Najenda seemed entirely indifferent. Leone whistled appreciatively, amazed at Tatsumi's approach.

"From public cuddling to open foreplay. You really are my type, Tatsumi."

* * *

 _Capital Fortress of the Northern Tribe…._

Esdeath sat upon the former throne of the Hero of the North. She looked around the fortress, her ice-blue eyes catching on the gruesome corpses scattered throughout. Beheaded, impaled, bisected, frozen. All on display by her command and own actions. But not by her choice. The two demons that hounded her had forced her to commit these actions in accordance with their will. The ice demon's blood in her called out for her to fight and kill and she managed to restrain that voice with great practice and effort. But the white-haired _Oni-oji_ that had her trapped was far more relentless. He demanded that she act as destructively as possible, threatening the things that she cherished most if she failed to comply.

 _One day, I will take that monster's head_ _with the very powers he forced on me,_ she thought as a messenger ran up to her. He paused at the sight of the Hero of the North on his hands and knees, a chained collar around his neck as he sat and begged at Esdeath's feet.

"Word from the Prime Minister." He explained, holding up the written orders he was about to give. "He has ordered your return to the Capital now that you've crushed the Northern Tribe."

Esdeath began to remember a former friend of hers who she hadn't seen since their battle over the Capital, someone that made her rage at the white-haired demon even more intense. "Tell my Three Beasts that we will need to meet at the Imperial Palace." The messenger bowed and sprinted off, terror radiating off of him since he had just been in her presence.

* * *

 _Back in the Capital, a few days later…._

"So we're on recon before the mission?" Tatsumi asked Leone as he followed her through the slums. He'd been assigned to work with her on a multi-hit job that required two teams acting at the same time. He knew that somewhere in the city, Sheele and Mien were getting ready for their target.

"Yep! And since the Imperial Police just love to patrol this lively area, I thought we might have a better chance at spotting our new mystery Teigu and its wielder." Leone grinned as she waved to familiar faces in the crowd. Tatsumi watched with interest as she stopped to talk to several vendors, enjoying the homey atmosphere of the area.

"Hey, get back here and pay us what you owe!" Several men shouted, sprinting full tilt towards him and Leone.

"Time to run," she told him with a cheeky grin. She dashed off with a smile on her face, leaving Tatsumi between her and the debt collectors. He panicked momentarily before following suit, not wanting to receive the beatings on Leone's behalf. He wove through the crowd, taking random turns down alleys and streets until he was certain he had lost them.

"Looks like we lost them Leone." Tatsumi looked around for the blonde assassin. "Leone?" Tatsumi realized that he didn't recognize the area. "I'm lost! Shit!" _How am I supposed to meet up with her if I don't know where I am? We have an assassination tonight!_

"You there, are you in need of assistance?" An orange-haired girl in an Imperial Police uniform asked, practically skipping up to him. "My name is Seryu, and I'm with the Imperial Garrison of the Imperial Police!" She saluted, tugging the small leash and attached miniature dog into the air. "You can consider me an ally of justice!"

 _Another crazy, but at least she looks sort of harmless… But what's this weird feeling in the back of my head? It reminds me of when Tsu was angry at me…_ Tatsumi thought before deciding it was safer to focus on the moment and noticed the small dog whining near his feet.

"Uhhhhm… is that….?" Tatsumi recognized the dog as a Teigu, but wanted to confirm before he made a mistake.

"He's the Teigu Hekatonkheires, or as I call him, Koro." She scooped up the dog-shaped Teigu. "Don't worry, innocent people have nothing to fear from him."

"…." Tatsumi tried to think of a response, only to find himself confused. How could someone so cheerful and nice could be wielding one of the most extremely insane Teigu he had read about.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Did you need help?" Seryu asked, remembering why she had walked over to him.

"Oh, I'm lost. I know the bar where I'm supposed to meet up with my friend, but I don't know where it is." Tatsumi sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

Seryu grabbed his hand, dragging him along with Koro tucked under her other arm. "Just follow me. I can lead you there while I patrol."

As she pulled him along, Tatsumi decided to use the opportunity to get more information. "So does everyone have a… Teigu, was it?"

"Nope!" She turned, cheerfully explaining. "I'm the only one. Koro was only compatible with me because of my great heart of justice!"

"Right." Tatsumi felt incredibly awkward that she was still dragging him along. Among other reasons.

"Here's the bar you were looking for." She let go of him, fully turning to him. "Remember to report any illegal activity that you see!" She dashed away, leaving Tatsumi standing alone.

 _So that's the person in Lubbock's report._ He scratched his head, wondering just why she wanted to meet at this bar. "I hope that Leone didn't bring me here so I could pay off her tab."

* * *

Leone and Tatsumi stood on a rooftop a block away from the target, waiting for the right time to make their move.

"You are so lucky to have run-in with that girl." Leone commented, pulling Tatsumi's head into her chest. "Maybe if I take you to a casino, I can walk away rich!"

Tatsumi suffered the treatment until she let go and he could reply. "I didn't feel like it. She was giving me this really bad vibe, like she was on the hunt."

"Prey's senses are very attuned to being hunted." She darkly suggested, "Maybe you've got a stalker already. Just make sure you change with the curtains closed." Tatsumi's embarrassed blush made the blonde chuckle.

"C'mon, time to move." She activated Lionelle, her clothes and figure changing under its power. Tatsumi had the presence of mind to avert his eyes in the moment before the erotic show started. _Made one mistake recently, not making another._

"Now to sneak in." Leone scooped Tatsumi up in her arms. He couldn't begin to protest before Leone dashed down the roofs, smashing tiles as the wind whipped past them. They crashed into the target's attic with surprisingly little noise. The transformed assassin grinned while Tatsumi recovered from the ride.

"Tell me how smashing our way in is sneaking." Tatsumi questioned, pushing himself to his feet.

"Just come over here." Leone replied, pushing aside a tile that made up the floor to reveal a smoky drug den. Absolutely full of half-naked women and gangsters. Tatsumi did his best to not gag on the drug-laced smoke and simultaneously not lose the battle with his hormones.

"Excellent." One of the gangsters said, stepping through the mass of girls. "Now if you girls go out and earn lots of money, we give you more medicine."

"Yes sir!" The drugged girls chorused before starting to file out of the room. Except for one who continued to lay there in a daze.

"Boss, we got one down." One of the gangsters said. "She's no use. Smells like rotten fish."

"Then scrap her, we can always find more good-for-nothings in the slums to replace her." Their supposed boss ordered. His flunkie started to move towards the girl, and drew his hand back to strike her. But it never fell. Instead, a throwing knife buried itself in his wrist joint. He fell back, screaming bloody murder before another knife silenced him.

Tatsumi and Leone jumped down, killing two of the targets mid-descent. "Nice move, Tatsumi."

"What the hell?" One of the gangsters shouted, startled to see some of their number already taken out.

"That's exactly where you're going." The assassins replied, charging forward. The stunned guards didn't have time to react before the two were cutting them down. Even as the few survivors tried to put up a fight, they were slain by Tatsumi's sword or Leone's ferociously powerful punches. When only the boss was left, Leone grabbed him by the throat before punching a hole in his chest.

"Who's good-for-nothing now, you piece of trash?" She asked the corpse before chucking it aside. She looked around, confirming that all of the drug traffickers were dead.

They made their way off, leaving the corpses to be found later. As they made their way back to the hideout through the streets, Tatsumi couldn't shake a weird feeling.

"So what's going to happen to all those drug-addicted girls now?" Tatsumi sincerely asked, trying to distract himself from the feeling.

"It's not our job to worry about that," Leone told him, stretching. She paused and caught sight of his crestfallen look. "But I know a former doctor living in the slums near here. He's getting old, but he's still good. Plus, he likes his women younger anyways."

Tatsumi couldn't stop a smile from crossing his face. "Leone, you're really just a big softie aren't you?"

The blonde felt a faint blush cross her cheeks. "I don't expect all of them to recover. I'm just doing it because I knew some of them from when I was a kid." She denied.

"I don't really care about your reasons." Tatsumi's eyes slid half-closed. "Just so long as a spark of hope burns, I don't care." He gave her a content smile that smoldered with his spiritual warmth.

Leone felt her blush ramp up and sighed. "Tatsumi, I've thought about this for a while, but it seems that you've got different plans." He turned to her, slightly confused in the moment before a pair of soft lips pressed against his cheek. He started to back away, completely flustered by the surprise kiss. "But you and Akame really do make a good match."

"Then what was that for?" Tatsumi covered his cheek, feeling how hot his own cheek was. "And how do you know about us?"

The older assassin gave him a wry smile. "As a thank-you from someone who thinks of her as a little sister. Between everything she's been through and likely to go through before we finally kill Honest, I'm glad she can find some happiness with you." Tatsumi stopped moving, his eyes widening. "But as I'm sure Mien told you, if you hurt her we will all tear you apart for it. So no getting distracted by your Big Sis anymore, you hear?" She let out a slight laugh. But somehow they both knew what it was covering up.

* * *

Tsu sighed into the pile of work sitting on his moonlit desk. He let his white-colored head drop onto the work, absorbing the moonlight to further increase his store of power in hopes of making himself forget. All of his attempts to find out anything about the mystery Teigu wielder in the ranks of his police force had been foiled by Honest's sympathizers.

 _Maybe I need to hire Night Raid just to get more information for them._ He let out a wordless groan. Which would have normally prevented him from hearing the door of his room being opened, but he knew someone was there the instant their killing intent reached him.

"For an assassin, you suck at hiding yourself." Tsu complained, turning around. His eyes widened in mild surprise to see a full dozen black-garbed figures brandishing blades of various lengths. _Clearly not door-to-door sword merchants._

"Going for numbers this time?" Tsu waited for the first assassin to attack before Retracing himself to a spot near the door. The gathered attackers stood frozen in place, trying to comprehend what they had just seen.

"Did you not wonder why there's never been a successful attempt on my life?" He closed the door to his room. He preferred to keep his private activities as uninterrupted as possible.

* * *

Sheele and Mien stood at the edge of a park, trying to decide whether to take the shortcut.

"C'mon, there's no Imperial Police in the area and we need to make up for the extra time it took to get through all of his defenses." Mien pointed out.

"But don't you remember, Akame warned us about cutting through parks?" Sheele reminded her pink partner. "She wouldn't have said something if it weren't important."

"You managed to remember that?" Mien questioned. "It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it."

"But…"

"If anything happens, I'll take responsibility." Mien proudly declared. Sheele only hesitated for a moment longer before starting to run into the park, followed by the sniper.

They made it to a widened plaza before a shadow jumped into their path, making them separate. An orange-haired girl stood between them, dressed in the standard-issue Imperial police armor.

 _Who the hell…_ Mien started to think, reaching for Pumpkin's trigger.

"I knew I could find you." The girl said, her tone eerily dark. "You look just like your wanted poster, Sheele from Night Raid!" Her eyes locked onto the scissor-wielding assassin. "And your Teigu-wielding friend must be a member too! Waiting and hiding in the weak spots of our night patrols was worth it."

She turned to Mien, an insane look in her eyes. "I am Seryu Ubiquitous of the Imperial Police Garrison and I will kill all evildoers in the name of ABSOLUTE JUSTICE!"

* * *

 **And CLIFFHANGER! Yes, I'm a terrible person for this. But I really wanted to set up the contrast of future scenes.**

 **It seems that the timeline might not be as changed as Akame believes it to be. But Esdeath isn't evil?!**

 **As always, please review, I enjoy seeing what you think of each chapter.**


	6. Kill the Regrets

**I left quite a cliffhanger last chapter, so let's get right to it!**

* * *

Tatsumi sat on Akame's bed, cradling her as she leaned back into him. He sat and appreciated his beautiful girlfriend's profile in the moonlight and silence. Since Leone had expressed her semi-approval of their relationship after the job, he was riding higher than he had ever felt. Which was why they were cuddling in her room.

"Tatsumi." She spoke up, breaking his concentration on memorizing her silver-lined profile. "Sheele and Mien are going to return soon, right?"

"Yes."

"And they're going to be okay, right?" Her voice was small and wavered slightly. Tatsumi could hear the tears that were trying to escape.

"Don't worry Akame. We'll all be okay." He kissed her neck and pulled her closer. "I promise." Akame snuggled deeper into the embrace, comforted by his warmth.

"I don't want to lose anyone precious to me, not like last time." She whispered. But whether Tatsumi understood her true meaning was something only she could fathom.

* * *

Mien looked at Seryu, unfazed but wary of the orange-haired girl.

"Since you've seen our faces and are willing to fight…." Mien snapped Pumpkin into firing position and pulled the trigger. "Victory goes to the ones who strike first!" The spirit energy bullet raced forward as a small dog leapt in front of Seryu. The two disappeared in smoke, and Mien wondered if it really was going to be that easy.

"Did I get her?" She asked Sheele, uncertain. Sheele looked at Mien, confidant in the sniper's skills.

The smoke dissipated, revealing a much larger dog blocking their view of Seryu, several holes in it already closing.

"Mien, it's a Teigu." Sheele exclaimed, drawing Ecstasy from its sheath.

"And a Biological type too." The sniper recognized the regeneration.

Seryu clucked her tongue, slightly annoyed they hadn't accepted her justice. "Tonfa guns." She pulled out her weapons, opening fire on the assassins while her Teigu stood guard. When the two dodged the attacks with ease, Seryu decided to change tactics "Koro, prey!" The dog-shaped Teigu opened its toothy maw and attacked Sheele.

The scissor-wielder sliced the beast down, letting it drop behind her. She had barely recovered from the attack before she sensed the killing intent behind her. She had only begun to turn when Mien fired, knocking Koro back to its master.

"Don't forget, biological Teigu regenerate until their cores are destroyed." Mien reminded her partner.

"What a troublesome adversary." Sheele remarked, forming her own silent plan.

Seryu was clearly aggravated that her trick hadn't killed at least one of them. "Koro, arms." The Teigu grew muscular arms that were disproportionately long compared to the dog's body. The two assassins made disgusted noises at the sight. "Crush!"

The dog Teigu charged, its fists seeming to multiply as it cut off any escape for Mien.

"What the hell?" The sniper did her best to evade before Sheele appeared in front of her, using Ecstasy's durable blades to block the attacks. Seeing that Koro had them sufficiently distracted, Seryu reached for a signal whistle and blew it. The shrill sound echoed across the park, signaling all the nearby patrols that they were needed.

"Shit." Mien cursed, letting herself feel the pressure. "First a whirlwind attack, and now she's calling in reinforcements? We're really in a PINCH!" She jumped high and fired Pumpkin, her spirit energy channeling into a greater attack that blasted down Koro. Much to her annoyance, the Teigu was already regenerating.

"That's some vitality." Mien groused.

"Don't underestimate the durability of my Teigu!" Seryu proclaimed, unsuspecting of Sheele's silent and rapid approach from the nearby smoke.

"Tiegu are tools. Kill the user and it will stop." Sheele stated, her scissor point directed at Seryu. The Imperial guardswoman brought up her tonfas, trying to defend herself from the expected attack. But a blinding light from the scissors assaulted her senses, forcing her to haphazardly guess at her blocks.

Koro tried to turn around and defend its master, only to be shot by Mien. _I have an idea where its core might be, thanks to its earlier injuries._

Meanwhile, Seryu backed away from Sheele's ferocious barrage of attacks, only to trip. Sheele seized the opportunity and opened Ecstasy, intent on cutting the guardswoman in half. Seryu dodged, sacrificing her arms to the attack.

Sheele closed the gap between them, only to be shocked by the guns that had burst from Seryu's arm stumps. _Bionic upgrades?!_

Seryu's face contorted into a feral grin. "Justice… will always prevail!" She fired at Sheele, who blocked with her Teigu. A swing of Ecstasy and the guns were severed.

Seeing she wasn't going to be able to attack Sheele, Seryu shouted. "Koro, Berserker Mode!" The Teigu grew explosively, its fur changing to a dark brown. It let loose a massive roar, stunning the two assassins.

 _If that's its hidden ability, what do we do?_

* * *

A group of court guards hurried to the Will of the Empire's room, following the trail of the assassins that had infiltrated the palace. They saw a spreading pool of something dark coming from underneath his door and threw it open, fearing the worst.

But what they found was far more terrifying. The Will of the Empire sat at his moonlit desk, working as though he wasn't sitting inside a room literally painted with blood that pooled and stained every possible surface around him and the clean desk. Somehow, his white robe was immaculately clean as always. But his normally white hair was a wet shade of black, dripping crimson onto the armrests of his wooden chair.

He turned to them with an impassive face and smiling eyes. "I assure you, the assassins have been dealt with. Please extend my apologies to the cleaning staff."

A faint but shrill whistle sounded from beyond the palace, making them all turn to look out the window.

 _That's the whistle for Imperial police in distress. What the hell is going on out there?_

* * *

Mien didn't have time to react as she felt a muscular hand close around her. She closed her eyes to concentrate on fighting back against the monstrous Teigu. Sheele refocused her attention to the situation of her partner.

"Crush her!" Seryu's rage-tinged command was met by a pressure that threatened to snap Mien in half. She felt her right arm break and her left shoulder was nearly dislocated before the pressure was gone. She opened her eyes in the moment before she hit the ground with the now-severed limb. Sheele was standing nearby, having used Ecstasy to cut the biological Teigu. Then the sniper landed, relatively safe.

"Made it." The purple-themed assassin said, relieved that she had saved her friend. A single gunshot pierced the calm. Sheele looked down at the bloody hole in her chest. "My body… won't move…"

Mien pulled herself from the lifeless limb, trying to reach her friend. "Sheeeeeeele!"

Seryu laughed around the gun barrel in her mouth as Koro charged the scissor-wielding assassin, tearing her body in half. Koro held Sheele's torso in his mouth, growling despite the obstruction.

Mien shifted Pumpkin into her unbroken arm, raising it at the one who had harmed Sheele. "How dare you? How dare you do that to her? I'LL DESTROY YOU!"

She had barely finished the proclamation when she heard other voices shouting. "Over there! They're battling in the clearing!" Mien turned and saw a squad of Imperial Police were making their way towards them. "Call for more back-up!" More whistles started to sound, drawing more attention to the fight.

Mien started to panic, realizing that this might be the place where she dies. Where she fails to change the world and see the new order. _All because I wanted to take a damned shortcut despite Akame's warning._

A blinding golden light erupted from the spot where Koro stood, blinding everyone in the area.

"What?" Seryu questioned, unable to block out the light without her arms.

"The hell is this light?" One of the newly arrived patrolmen questioned. "Be careful! Something's happening!" Another warned.

Mien knew what the light was coming from, and couldn't stop her tears. _Sheele, don't do this._

"You have to get out of here Mien." Sheele's calm voice reached the sniper, bringing more tears to her pink eyes.

Mien wavered for a moment, desperately wondering if she could save her friend. But she knew she couldn't. She turned and fled, cradling her broken arm and Pumpkin as she ran and sobbed.

"Koro, put an end to this now!" Seryu ordered, trying to prevent Mien's escape.

But even as Sheele felt the mouth open around her, she had time to think and reflect. On her time with Night Raid, _the place where I belong_. Memories of her friends, of great times spent with them flashed by. _It was really fun._ As the jaws closed over her, she had enough time for one last thought. _I'm sorry Mien, I don't want you to blame yourself._

* * *

One of the patrolmen stood near where Seryu sat back to back with Koro, who was docilely chewing on what was left of Sheele. "Seryu, are you okay?"

His question was met by laughter. "I did it. Even when she could have abandoned her companion to win, she didn't. I fought well. Because she was a half-hearted person." She raised her stumps to the sky, a look of adoration on her face. "Papa, I defeated a villain on my own. The light of Justice shines today!"

The patrolmen and the other members took a step back as Seryu descended into another deranged fit of giggles.

* * *

The whole team heard when Lubbock's guard alarms were set off, alerting them to the return of Mien and Sheele. Tatsumi helped Akame make it outside to greet their returning members. But they weren't greeted by Sheele's soft smile and Mien's haughty look, but by a battered Mien using one of her former hair-ties as a sling, teary eyes downturned to the point where they could barely see her face. Akame felt a wave of guilt roll over her, and swayed, reaching out to hold onto Tatsumi like he was her anchor. She had failed to change fate, even if she could claim him.

"Hey, where's Sheele, Mien?" Tatsumi asked as Akame trembled against his shoulder. "Mien, answer me. Where is she?" He wanted to deny the look on her face. He wanted to deny this reality after he had promised Akame that it would be okay.

He looked around, and could see the undeniable truth in everyone else's grieving faces. "Tell me where whoever did this is." His tone was low, but demanded their attention. He could feel Akame's grip on him tighten, trying to restrain him.

"What do you think you're going to do?" Najenda questioned him, knowing exactly what was happening. _The one time we need Tsu around to be a father to Tatsumi and he's trapped in enemy territory indefinitely._

"What do you think? Sheele wouldn't go down without a fight. Which means whoever did this is weakened, and we have to use that opportunity!" He argued, shrugging off Akame to turn and face everyone. His eyes were watering, tears held back by his rage.

"Stop. You can't go out there without a plan. You'll only get yourself killed." Najenda commanded him, and found herself surprised that Tatsumi slumped his shoulders. But everyone else was shocked when he dropped to his hands and knees, openly weeping.

"Why? Goddamnit, why? Do you want me to just stay silent about this?" He questioned, unable to look at anyone else. "It's not fair-"

Bulat stepped forward and pulled Tatsumi to his feet and Leone moved in to slap him. "Get it together!" She scolded him as he dangled in the soldier's arms.

Bulat shook Tatsumi for emphasis. "I told you that anyone of us could die at any moment. And you joined us knowing that." He threw Tatsumi towards Akame, who he looked up at. He gritted his teeth and stood up. Akame looked at him, shocked to see his face was completely composed.

"Don't let Sheele's death be in vain." Najenda struck her declaration pose. "But now the Empire knows that Teigu are needed to fight Teigu. Which means more battles will be coming to us. There will be more chances to collect them this way."

"In the end, this is the beginning of our life-and-death situation."

But all that Mien could keep thinking was two words. _My fault._

* * *

 _A few days later…_

Lubbock and Kurome were surprised to see that Tsu wasn't waiting for them at the designated café. Sitting down at their usual table, their eyes were drawn to a man with shoulder length gray hair sticking out of a black hooded waistcoat, his hands in the pockets of his gray pants that blended in perfectly with his gray boots. He wove through the crowd like a snake through tall grass before meandering into the café across from them. The stranger plopped down across from them before tossing back his hood, revealing a very exhausted and grayed Tsu.

"What's up with the new outfit?" Kurome wondered, idly munching on some tea cakes a waiter had left for them as a courtesy when the store owner had noticed them. "I thought you were too old to care about looking fashionable. Or capable of dressing yourself."

Tsu's weary eyes flickered with annoyance before settling down into a luminescent muddle of emotion. "I'm sorry for your loss, but that doesn't mean mouthing off to a superior won't go unnoticed." His sincere tone caught them as unaware as his words. "But thanks to her sacrifice, I've found out all I could about Seryu Ubiquitous and her Teigu." He pulled a thick file out and set it in front of Lubbock.

"Thanks." The green-haired boy replied, startled by Tsu's composed and compassionate response.

"Why is your hair grey? Not bathing?" Kurome questioned, doing her best to ignore the feelings of grief being brought to the forefront of her mind by the conversation. She pulled some of her secret candy stash out and began munching on it, trying to avoid lashing out again.

"I had to use a lot of power recently. Being attacked by Honest's assassins wasn't easy on me." He ran a hand through his hair unconsciously. "But being told that you're going to be sharing power over security in the Capital with Esdeath is more than enough to make any man go gray."

Lubbock's back straightened at the mention of the icy general. "She's here? In the Capital?"

"Yes, and that means she's already finished conquering the North. With her Three Beasts back too. In fact, she should be in a meeting with the Prime Minister right now." The covert traitor looked over his shoulder at the Imperial Palace in the distance. "But that's not the problem."

"Then tell us."

"Kurome. You, your tracker, and a group of soldiers are being sent to eliminate a village with ties to the Revolutionary Army and the rebel tribes. From there, you are to pursue any survivors or clues to any nearby rebel-aligned strongholds. View that as you will. But I'm going to need Aria to join me in the palace since Honest has barred my access to a lot of things through his political clout. And it's better that I have a messenger I can have spy for me once I begin my relief tour of the villages nearby." Tsu stood up, and left without a single glance back. They stared at his retreating form before he vanished as quickly as he had arrived.

"Kurome." Lubbock's voice made the girl snap out of the reverie she had been put in by Tsu's exposition. "We need to go make our report and then get going. Our covers are only intact as long as we play along."

She nodded and looked at a nearby sweet shop before giving her green-haired compatriot a pleading look.

He held firm for a moment before sighing. "I swear, you're a greater threat to my finances than to actual people." He took the kick to the shin with as stoic a face as he could manage. Considering she had probably broken it.

* * *

Akame walked by the dining room, and wasn't entirely surprised to see Tatsumi in there with Mien. He sat next to her, holding a spoon up to the pinkette. But the sniper's eyes were empty and unseeing, lost inside her own guilt.

"C'mon Mien, it's getting cold." He moved the spoon to her mouth, which barely opened to accept the nutrition. "If you keep it up, you'll stay a shrimp forever."

A half-hearted mumble met his comment. Even Tatsumi couldn't hear it.

"What happened to my superior that taught me about not being gun-shy? Is she too busy swimming with her shelled cousins to talk to me?" He tried.

"Shut up, newbie. You're still too pathetic to even use a pistol without flinching." Tatsumi reigned in his flaring temper at the remark and gave a smile at the reaction. He offered her more soup, which she eagerly ate while muttering backhanded compliments that kept him smiling.

 _He's so much stronger than I am._ Akame thought before leaving to meet up with Leone. She had finally been cleared for a mission by Aria and they were killing the Kobore brothers as part of the Revolution's plan. At least she could kill them without thinking about her own powerlessness.

* * *

"General Esdeath, thank you for coming so quickly after your conquest of the North." The child-Emperor told the older woman, looking at her kneeling before him.

"Of course, sir." She replied, having given up caring about such things long ago. That monster's orders and methods had drained away most of her will that hadn't been sharpened by her need for vengeance.

"As a reward, I've prepared 10,000 gold as a reward for your work." He explained.

"Thank you. I will send it to my troops guarding the North." Her mechanical reply was accompanied by a passive smile. _Since they were the ones that actually fought and bled for this victory._

"I know you have only just returned but we have need of you now. Groups like Night Raid and other dangerous rogues infect the area around the Capital. We would like you to use your forces to eliminate them."

"Understood." Esdeath felt a burst of pride at the belief that she could handle this. She was still a warrior and soldier at heart, no matter the demons' influence. "But I have one request."

"Apparently some of these insurgents are Teigu wielders, and the only way to fight Teigu…" She drew her head up to look at the Emperor and his fat Minister. "…is with Teigu. If you would gather six Teigu wielders for me to create a security squad, it would be all I would need."

"But you already your team of the Three Beasts?" The child questioned, showing some competence at the request for more power. _This boy might become a real leader someday._

"Your Highness, don't worry about granting General Esdeath's request. We have nothing to fear from her." The Minister explained. _Oh, but you do, you disgusting slime_ , she thought. She hated that corrupt man, but the white-haired demon had made it explicitly clear that she obey like a loyal subject. _Assholes, both of them._

"Then I have nothing to fear." The child heaved a sigh of relief. "Can you ready that for her, Minister Honest?" The rotund man nodded. "That's good. I am relieved to have that off my mind."

"Yes, Esdeath is quite the loyal subject." _Choke on a bone and die already, glutton._

The child returned his attention to Esdeath, "I don't think gold is enough compensation for everything you've done. Is there anything else I could give you? A title… land…. Anything you want?"

Esdeath felt her humiliation flare up as she remembered the letter that had arrived for her the moment she stepped through the gates of the palace. Surely the demon was mocking her by predicting this and ordering her to make her demand that. And she had sincerely considered defying him. But a memory of the consequences from the only time she had defied him crossed her mind. The bodies had been horribly mutilated, yet the faces had been left intact to ease identification. A true monster that wanted her to understand he wasn't going to stand for her impunity.

"If there was anything," She skillfully buried her true reaction to the request. "I would like to find love."

The Emperor and Minister seemed taken back by the request. "Then I'll play matchmaker. How about the Minister?"

 _I would rather stab myself in the eye than let him near me. Or preferably have him jump into a spike-filled pit first._ "Unfortunately, the Prime Minister's future isn't assured due to his high blood pressure." She reached into her coat and pulled out the paper that had come attached to the letter. "I've already made a document outlining my preferences. If you find a suitable candidate, please let me know." An attendant took the list, immediately setting off to deal with the bureaucracy of her request.

"Of course." The child nodded, "You're dismissed."

Taking the chance to leave, Esdeath wasn't surprised to find the Prime Minister hastening to follow her.

"Asking for six Teigu wielders is quite fiendish, considering your recently bloomed desires." He stated, keeping pace with her. _I really hate the white-haired monstrosity and this sanctimonious asshole._

"But it should be just about the number you can field. And is it so strange to desire such companionship? All creatures want a partner of the opposite sex at some point." She replied, barely keeping herself in check, facing away from the pompous piece of corruption walking next to her.

"Just so you know, it's going to take a while to gather them. In the meantime, if you could take care of some things for me…" The Minister began to rattle off names of people that he needed killed and blamed on Night Raid.

Esdeath did her best not to whip out her hidden knife and stab him.

* * *

Akame sat in total silence, focused on the diligent cleaning of Murasame. She heard the door open behind her, and carefully stepped back and turned to her guest. Leone stood there, looking at her.

"Leone, what is it?" The red-eyed assassin wondered. The blonde had been slightly distant since her last mission with Tatsumi. Something that had protected her and her boyfriend from scrutiny by the relationship-experienced blonde.

"Just wondering when you and Tatsumi are going to finally let everyone in on your relationship?" The blonde watched as the girl jumped in total surprise.

"H-h-how do you know that?" She blushed and did her to control her stutter. She couldn't begin to imagine what everyone's responses would be to the news.

Leone smiled at the clearly embarrassed girl. "Almost as funny as his reaction."

* * *

Tsu continued on his way through the palace, letting his black waistcoat open to reveal an all-white silk shirt with the silver Imperial Crest that he was so famous for. He spotted a familiar head of ice-blue hair followed by three strange men, all walking towards him.

 _Guess it's one of those days_. He thought. General Esdeath's eyes caught his and she stopped and fixed him with a hate-filled glare.

"You…" Her voice was low and the temperature of the hallway dropped. Her three attendants sunk into combat stances, sensing her rage. But before they could even begin to think of how to attack, they became paralyzed by an overwhelming amount of killing intent. Even Esdeath found herself immobilized by the immensity of the emotional barrage. It felt as though the very air was trying to kill her and her Beasts.

"Oh, I recognize you!" Tsu said with a smile, completely unaffected by the overload. "I see that you have risen to the rank of General in our glorious Empire." He nodded to the three gathered behind Esdeath. "This is our first time meeting so I will introduce myself." Tsu's fingers swept his hair behind his ears. "I am Will of the Empire, current spiritual advisor of the Emperor and overseer of the judicial system. Best known for my Teigu 'The Emperor's Purpose: Lo-Shira' and the unwavering strength I grant to Emperors who call on me."

"You…" Esdeath managed to say before Tsu stepped closer and fixed her with a neutral expression that masked the horrific oblivion his eyes promised her if she continued. She felt the coil of something she hadn't felt since they had first met: fear.

"I was just on my way to the torture chambers. The ones in charge tend to forget the point of their job, so maybe you would like to come along and make sure they are doing it right?" The question sounded innocent, but the commanding glare that Tsu gave Esdeath told her there wasn't going to be any argument. She nodded her agreement and felt the paralytic killing intent evaporate faster than fog on a sunny day.

 _One day, I will kill you. The monster that stole my clan and family from me._

* * *

Tatsumi longed for Akame's warmth as he sat awake in bed. Not that they were at that stage in their relationship, but what Kurome had told him before she left with Lubbock had left him with a desire to hold her.

" _Onee-chan is trying to hold back, just like you Tatsu-nii." Her black eyes were swimming with a sadness that he hated to see in anyone's eyes. "Please get her to talk to you. Please."_

He groaned, still failing to come up with a way to broach the subject gently. He decided to go get a drink and try to calm down enough to sleep.

But when he made it to the kitchen, he saw Akame standing there with a plate of food. He recognized it as one of Sheele's favorite meals. "Offering to the dead?" He guessed, mostly since he was the only one in Night Raid who knew anything beyond the basics of funeral rites.

"Yes," She replied, her eyes down, "We work in the shadows so no one besides us will know what happened. It's likely that she isn't even the Revolutionary Army's records. And I won't forget her. Not now, not ever."

Tatsumi stepped up to her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "You don't have to hold it in. I'm hurting just as much as you are."

The plate slipped out of Akame's hands and broke between their feet. But neither noticed as her empty hands formed fists in his shirt and tears began to rain down her cheeks.

"How can you hurt as much as I do? I've lost her again! Nothing I've done seems to have changed it! Nothing!" She sobbed, her eyes burning into his with guilt and regret. Tatsumi didn't think before hugging her close, whispering soothing nothings to her. He felt a few tears of his own slip out, but he managed to stay in control of his grief. It wasn't Akame who needed to be strong for everyone, it was him who needed to be strong for her.

It took him a few minutes before her words fully processed. "Akame, what did you mean 'lost her again?'"

Her sobs came to an abrupt end as she realized what she had done. "If I tell you something impossible, would you believe me?" Her fists knotted in his shirt, locking him in place.

"Akame…" Another twist cut him off.

"Just answer the question…. please…" Her voice petered out. She had been careless by letting it slip, but now she was gambling everything on him trusting her.

Tatsumi didn't have to think about his answer. He used a hand to tilt her tear-stained face up to his before gently kissing her. He let himself go for a moment, sending every bit of passion he could muster into it. When he pulled back, her watery eyes were full of hope and fear. "I will always believe you, even if everything else I know tells me it's impossible. Because I love you and trust you with everything I am."

She barely managed to hold back a fresh bout of tears, this time caused by his open heart. She took a breath before letting her story tumble out. How she had lived through a similar past. One where only she survived. How she was from the future and her meeting with Tsu. How she had returned to a different past. And how she had been determined to change it, only to clearly fail with Sheele's death occurring again. Everything she could think of spilled out of her.

By the time she finished her tale, the moon had begun to sink below the horizon as the gray of dawn encroached on its domain. Tatsumi had stayed silent the entire time, absorbing her words and thinking.

"That's one impossible story." Akame's head dropped in preparation for the disbelief. "But if what you're saying is true, then the old man owes us an explanation after we kick him around." She looked up at his bright smile. When he realized she was looking up at him with hopeful eyes, he stopped smiling. "Don't get me wrong, some parts of your story don't make sense to me. Like Kurome ever following the Empire willingly. She cares too much for you to do something like that." Tatsumi rubbed at his temples, still trying to make a plan. "So we need to start training to prevent this."

"Thank you for listening." Akame kissed his cheek before walking away, leaving him stunned and alone in the kitchen with a broken plate at his feet.

* * *

Tsu and Aria sat next to each other in the carriage, forced to bump shoulders since the third occupant was asleep on the opposite bench. Aria couldn't stop staring at the 4 year-old child napping across from them, her long purple hair obscuring her face, her clothes hidden under the heavy blanket covering her. She fiddled with her loosened Shingu, now expanded far enough for the spikes to no longer touch her neck. A mark of her progress since joining Tsu in the palace.

"I know what you're thinking." Tsu stated, making Aria jump slightly. "But she's not Sheele."

"Then explain, O master of this world." Aria snapped, hating his observant nature and blunt destruction of her hopes. Something she had tried to get used to during their travels, but it was still painful.

"In my days as the prophet of Luna the Ultra-class Danger Beast and god of Wisdom, I became privy to the secret workings of our world." His tone was as neutral as always, but Aria was convinced he was being nostalgic. "The souls of this world's strongest are not meant to depart. So they linger as the dreams, myths, and legends until even those are forgotten. But some people are so impactful on those strong people that they cling to life and return, becoming reborn so as to support the strongest souls, ensuring their strength for another generation. This isn't the first time I've seen this phenomenon, but it is still a shock every time I see it."

Aria looked at the girl, realizing she couldn't be more similar to Sheele. Which meant that this was Sheele's reincarnation, so she might have her memories. _Sheele is still here, right in front of me!_

"You expect her to remember her old life, don't you?" Tsu closed his eyes, reaching up to cross his arms behind his neck. "Too bad that death is a permanent end. Same soul, different life. Different memories." The last two words were tinged by a melancholy that made Aria look at her master with concern.

She contemplated what he said before considering her own resurrection at his hands. "I've known you for over a year, but to the others it has only been a few weeks. How is that possible?"

"Because as you mistakenly said, I'm not master of the world." His eyes opened and looked out the carriage's window at the passing village. "I'm a master of history and temporal past. Using my Teigu, I reversed time for us while we journeyed. A year passed in the course of a night because I sent us back a year from the night you almost died."

She found herself stunned by the admission. "But I thought Teigu can't undo things like death. Much less confer your immortality. How? How are you able to do what the First Emperor himself couldn't?"

"I can't undo death. Once you've died, I can't reverse time to save something that's already ended. Since you were still alive I could. And I'm not really immortal, I am just looping the same day in my life every day and keeping the memories. An unending bubble that rolls above the tides of time." His eyes caught sight of three figures standing in the road, and he tapped the wall to signal the driver to come to a stop.

"Wait! You need to explain this!" Aria ordered him to finish his partial answer as the carriage jerked to a stop. But rather than answer her, Tsu opened the door and nimbly climbed out to meet the three waiting outside. The three stopped walking towards the carriage at the sight of Tsu.

"My, my. What are you three doing here?" He questioned the Three Beasts who were frozen in silent shock. "I told the Minister and the General that I don't need an armed escort."

"Advisor, we apologize. We merely thought that-" Liver began to state before Tsu raised his hand. For the three of them, it was a nightmare. Even their Mistress Esdeath openly feared and obeyed him, a worrisome thought to the servants of 'The Empire's Strongest.' T _his man stood higher than the one they worshipped as a goddess._

"That since you found some Night Raid propaganda you should be concerned for me? How sweet." His neutral tone made the statement even more threatening as the Three Beasts noticed that some of the flyers they were carrying had fallen out. "But please don't worry. The actual Night Raid doesn't advertise so it's merely some copycats."

Not certain if they were being played, Liver cleared his throat as the spokesman of the group. "As you say, Advisor. Since you seem to be fine, we will leave. Though one question…." Tsu's head cocked in confusion. "Is that not Former Minister's Chouri's carriage?"

"It was. But I imagine he has no need of it now." Chills ran down the spine of Aria, who hadn't even questioned where their ride had come from. _Maybe all that time alone turned him into the monster everyone sees him as, but even he is still human underneath that. And someday I'll repay his gift and help him atone too._

* * *

Akame looked at Bulat, who had just arrived at the training grounds. Tatsumi tried to use her distraction to make a move past her defenses, but the way that their wooden training swords clashed told him it was hopeless. She pushed him back and watched as he skidded to a halt after a few seconds.

"That was totally ridiculous! How could you have blocked so well when you were distracted?" Tatsumi questioned. Akame tilted her head at the words while the soldier-turned-assassin's fist crashed into Tatsumi's face. The green-eyed boy landed upside down, his feet resting in the air above his head.

"That's how." She replied while Bulat helped her green-eyed boyfried to his feet. He rubbed his tender nose, questioning why everyone seemed to teach him lessons through violence and physical discipline. _I'd rather not become a masochist._

"You aren't aware of your surroundings." The older male admonished his younger counterpart. "In a real fight you would die from that. Enemies could be hiding anywhere and in any number. Two things your prey sense fails to pick up on." Bulat realized that he robbed Tatsumi of all his pride. "But you're a lot more into this than usual. Any reason?"

Tatsumi shook his head. "Not really. If I want to make it to the future I dream of, I need to level up as fast as I can." He turned to Akame, a determined look in his eye. "And I'm going to survive no matter what in that future!" She barely managed to hide her blush at his confession and secret promise to aid her in changing the future.

Bulat slapped him on the back, making both of the younger assassins jump. "Now that's handsome! I had been waiting for you to get serious before I took you there, but now seems like the right time! Follow me!" Without a look back, Bulat hurtled off with a spear in hand. Tatsumi gave Akame an apologetic smile before giving chase to his other teacher.

"Good luck." She whispered into the wind behind them, hoping that this would really be the beginning of her new future.

* * *

Kurome looked over her shoulder at a heavily burdened Lubbock, trailed by several nondescript soldiers in black armor.

"Remind me. Why am I carrying all of your stuff?" The green-haired boy's annoyed voice reached his sailor-suited partner. She stopped and turned to face him fully, pulling a small piece of candy from her pouch before eating it.

"Because it was that, or I tell the advisor that you were ogling his disciple." Kurome replied, watching Lubbock's shoulders while the others froze in terror at the mention of the man that had defeated his assassins and left them in such a nightmare-inducing state.

"I hate your mind-reading." He complained, stretching before continuing up the path to stand next to the black-eyed assassin. He looked back at the others. "C'mon, we've got far enough to go as is. Now let's hurry." His orders were met with vigor, a respect he had earned as Kurome's companion and for his supposed lack of a Teigu.

 _Sometimes it's good to be in charge._

"Move it slowpoke!" Yatsufusa's sheath jabbed his stomach, shattering his whimsical delusion.

* * *

The two male assassins made their way up the mountain. Tatsumi was fidgeting, unsure of the reason they were going to the summit of this place.

"You said it's called Fake Mountain?" Tatsumi casually wondered. "Why would people name it that?"

The sound of snapping branches made Tatsumi turn, shocked to find a tree had seemingly uprooted itself and was currently bringing one of its thick branches down on him. Before he could grab his sword, Bulat had moved and struck the tree with his spear, snapping it in half and sending a spray of blood into the air.

"This is why. Tree Beasts and other species of mimicry-based Danger Beasts inhabit this area, making it the most dangerous area near the Capital." Bulat explained to a stunned Tatsumi. "You'll develop that prey sense into battlefield awareness and survive thanks to your keen eyes." The sound of gravel shifting and wood breaking alerted them to the presence of more copies. "We'll give any edible meat we get to nearby villages."

Tatsumi grinned and pulled out his sword. "That's my Big Bro!" He charged a rock-mimic, already aiming for its eye.

 _Kid learns fast._ The ex-soldier watched Tatsumi kill the mimic and felt a blush warming his cheeks. "And if you get hurt, I can take care of your every need back at base camp."

Tatsumi was too shocked by the comment to worry about three nearby Tree Beasts. Luckily, it seemed even the Danger Beasts were startled by the declaration to take advantage of the opening.

"Why's that making you blush!?" Tatsumi's shrill words echoed around the mountain.

* * *

"Four-part bad news today." Najenda told her assembled assassins, numbering half their full strength. "Kurome and Lubbock were dispatched with a large group of Imperial assassins to lead an attack on a sympathetic village, meaning we're going to be receiving fewer supplies from the Army for a time." A growl could be heard from Akame's stomach. While she contemplated the implications of fewer foodstuffs arriving, everyone else came to the silent and unanimous conclusion that they would start hunting more.

"Second, Esdeath had been confirmed as returned to the Capital by Tsu and Aria. The old man is determined to keep an eye on her at least, which has primarily meant keeping her limited to the torture chambers. If you can call that damage control." Tatsumi did his best to not clench his fists at the mention of the white-haired enigma.

"Third, we've lost contact with our Regional Team." Everyone tensed, knowing what that meant of their fellow assassins. Mien shifted her sling, very aware of its restrictions.

"Finally, several civil servants and their guards have been disappearing across the land after meeting with the new advisor. There have been four of these disappearances, and officially it's being blamed on us." Najenda looked at all of them, expecting some questions.

"Why would we do that? Kidnapping isn't something we specialize in." Tatsumi inquired, confused by the train of logic.

The one-eyed ex-general stared at him. "Each disappearance is marked by an unnatural amount of blood, with no trace of an attacker or a body. More than sixty guards have disappeared, on top of the four officials."

Leone perked up at the mention of the four. "Former Minister Chouri was supposed to meet with Tsu about increasing public safety outside the Capital. But they never met since he, his daughter, and thirty of their guards vanished from their rooms inside an Imperial Army garrison. The only people that have the power to make something like that happen are us, as far as the people are concerned."

Najenda nodded at the blonde. "Which means it could only be some group of Teigu users. And the only one in the public eye are us." She shook her head. "But the problem is the victims themselves. They were reasonable people that didn't belong to the Minister's faction, which makes them prime targets for removal by his orders." She looked up at her four remaining assassins. "We've been blamed for the Minister's cleanup."

"Which means he's trying to lure us out." Bulat threw out, noting the obvious step in logic.

"Exactly. These men and women were capable, defiant of the Minister, didn't interfere with Rebel scouts. They cared for the people and now they're gone. They were the sort of people that our new nation needs. We cannot allow this to continue. Opinions, everyone." She opened the floor to them.

"There's no way we can let this keep happening." Tatsumi's hands clenched at his proclamation. "And since their getting away with it at our expense… It really pisses me off!"

Bulat couldn't stop a grin from crossing his face. "Now that is some handsome determination! Well said!"

The others nodded, sharing his opinion. Najenda felt a sinister grin cross her face before she issued her orders. Bulat and Tatsumi would be going to the outskirts of the Capital to observe onboard the massive Dragon Ship while Leone and Akame would be investigating an outerlying village. Though both Akame and Tatsumi protested, those in the know merely mistook it for the secret lovers not wanting to be separated.

 _How wrong they were._

* * *

"This has got to be one of the largest ships I've seen." Tatsumi gasped, remembering all the times he'd been near the floating vessels with Tsu. He looked at the spot where an invisible Bulat stood, amazed that he couldn't actually sense where the armor-wearer was standing had he not spoken up. Looking down at his own suit, he started to wonder if he could pull off the charade.

A loud murmur rumbled through the gathered crowd, making the green-eyed boy turn in the direction of the disturbance. Walking next to the target was Tsu in his immaculate white robe, his eyes sweeping the crowd with a hint of a smile on his normally neutral face. But when those luminescent eyes found him, Tatsumi watched as shock crossed the old man's face before he grew a genuine smile. He broke off his conversation and pushed through the guards, breaking into an inelegant run. Tsu's arms wrapped around Tatsumi in a fatherly embrace that left them looking over each other's shoulders.

"I know why you're here. Play along." Tsu whispered before pulling back to fix his face into a look of fatherly pride. "My son has finally returned to the Capital! This calls for an even grander celebration!" His shout was met by wary cheers. Tatsumi was still trying to recover from the shock when he felt Bulat's hand on his shoulder.

"Go with it." Bulat encouraged, figuring it would be easier on Tatsumi that way. Tatsumi almost let a scowl cross his face, until he remembered that if he broke the charade now they were all done for.

"Whatever you say, Pops." The green-eyed boy gave his best interested look before Tsu dragged him back towards the civil servant and his ring of guards.

* * *

Liver couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was the advisor here on the Dragon Ship, but apparently the man had a son who had shown up too.

"Nyau, looks like your tune is going to be quite necessary." The former general requested of the slight boy next to him. The boy gave a nod and spun the flute in his hand. The two made their way down into the ship to wait for the perfect moment to strike.

 _It appears we may have a chance to not only catch our target, but gain valuable intel for Mistress Esdeath on the advisor from his 'son'._

* * *

Tatsumi stood off to the side as Tsu bragged of "his son's" accomplishments as a young spice trader and merchant. People that had been afraid of the advisor before the ride found themselves enjoying his company as he wove the story in his masterful spinning of lies and truths.

 _At least the target is safe._

"You're doing pretty well with all this." Bulat commented, reminding Tatsumi of his Big Bro's secret presence.

"Well it's more like I'm in culture shock and just know how to hide it." He replied, swirling his glass of martini some waitress had handed to him. "Besides, if Tsu is here there's no way anyone is going to get away with something. We probably missed the mark on this one." An invisible fist bounced off his head, an unseen reprimand. "Ow!"

"Don't go letting your guard down just because he's here." Tatsumi could hear Bulat's eyes narrowing. "For all we know, this was part of some trap to lure him out instead of us. It's why we don't make assumptions."

"True…" Tatsumi winced slightly under the scold.

"I snuck on here with invisibility. Who's to say our enemies can't do something similar?"

"You're right." Tatsumi rubbed his head where he'd been struck, dispersing the pain. "How many times have you hit me today?"

"Don't worry about it. They're lashings of love." A slight pause made Tatsumi suspicious. "Of love." Tatsumi felt a need to step back. "Love." Bulat was swooning, making Tatsumi flinch.

"Repeating it three times just makes it creepy." Tatsumi looked around to make sure he really was alone other than Bulat. Which he was. "How much longer is Incursio's invisibility going to hold up?"

"Not much longer." Bulat caught sight of Tsu disengaging from the crowd he had been with and walking over. "I'll go below deck to make sure no sees my face." He turned and walked to the nearest door, knowing that Tsu was about to straighten out Tatsumi.

"Sure, I'll take the top deck to myself." Tatsumi hadn't noticed the way Tsu was stalking closer to him.

When a hand clamped down on his shoulder, Tatsumi managed to not jump. "You and I need to talk." Tsu's tone was authoritative and dark, promising his adopted son a lecture.

"Yeah, we need to." The green-eyed boy turned to face his dark aura-clad caregiver, ready to question him about Akame, alternate pasts, and his involvement.

"Aria told me about what happened while I was away." Tsu's grip tightened on the green-eyed boy's shoulder. "When I told you to stop wavering, I didn't mean you should go fuck your childhood friend."

Every thought and question in Tatusmi's head ground to a halt. Had he been drinking something, he would have choked and sprayed it everywhere. Instead, he coughed as air became caught in his throat. "K-Wh-what? I never did anything like-"

A firm shaking cut him off. "Don't give me that. You're way too immature for a relationship of any depth." He pushed Tatsumi away. "You need to have clear direction and a desire to understand your partner to build a relationship. Not your damn hormones. We don't need bastards running around because you didn't keep it in your pants."

"All we've done is kiss and occasionally cuddle." Tatsumi defended himself, dimly aware of some music drifting in the background. Tsu's look of annoyance seemed to soften for a moment before returning. "Besides, I do have a clear direction. I want to give her a future without all this killing. I want to someday marry her and give her the happy life she should have had."

Tsu snorted in derision. "Tell me how you'll manage to pull that off, would you? But you can't, because you know that the future is unwritten. No one here can promise anyone a happy future."

A loud number of thuds made the two arguers turn away. They watched as people across the ship fell and slumped to the ground in total defeat. The music that had been in the background of their argument faded as the last partygoer dropped.

"Damnit, it's Scream." Tsu cursed, recognizing the effects. "How did they get onboard?"

"Wait, what's Scream? And who's they?" Tatsumi questioned before jumping at the sound of a door slamming open. He turned to see a beast of a man walk out of the boat's interior, a large ax over the shoulder of his black coat.

"Scream is a flute Teigu that manipulates emotion. And they refers to Esdeath's Three Beasts." Tsu warily noted that Liver and Nyau had come out as well, standing further back. "Looks like it's time for you to do what you came here for."

Tatsumi nodded, letting one of his throwing knives drop into his hand. He faced the man-beast stalking towards him. "Are you the ones behind the disappearances, posing as Night Raid?"

"No. But if you're asking, it means you're the actual Night Raid." Diadara smirked. "Wouldn't have guessed a child of his would turn against the Empire. And also," He reached behind his back and threw a sheathed sword to Tatsumi, "I want to fight strong enemies and gain more experience. And the advisor's kid has to be strong no matter what side he's on, right?"

Tatsumi put up his hands to catch the sword, using the opportunity to throw his hidden knife. He clicked his tongue as Diadara blocked it with his ax, but enjoyed the slight surprise on his face. "Should have known it wouldn't be that easy to beat someone that works for a General." He drew the sword, ready to face off against the ax-wielder.

"You're on your own brat." Tsu commented before stepping away to the dining area and grabbing a glass of wine. "Try to not to die too quickly." He sipped from the glass, seemingly apathetic to the impending battle in front of him.

The assembled fighters took a moment to collectively stare at the advisor before commenting.

"What the hell old man?"

"That's pretty harsh. Definitely not worth the experience."

"No wonder Mistress Esdeath despises and fears such a heartless creature."

"To say something so soul-crushing with such ease…. I might have met someone more sadistic than our Lady."

Tsu shrugged off the comment and returned to his usual neutral expression. "I wanted to rile him up a little more. No such thing as too much passion."

Diadara grinned and charged at Tatsumi, realizing what Tsu meant. "You're worthy of my time before you die." He swung the ax, and Tatsumi made the decision to dodge instead of blocking. A good choice as he watched the deck splintered and nearby tables were thrown by the impact. While the assassin recovered, a new melody started to drift from the flute-wielding boy in the back.

Realizing he was facing terrible odds and Tsu was less than useless like usual, Tatsumi formed a plan that would blow his only trump card away. A flick of his left wrist and the pouch of spices he carried was in his hand. He threw it up in a lob, waiting for his opponents to not fall for the feint. When he was certain their eyes were still on him, he moved.

Pulling the sword close, he rushed in and made a move to attack. Diadara confidently prepared to block, only to be confused as a throwing knife flew past him and struck the descending bag. A red cloud bloomed and coated the area around Nyau, who fell to the ground coughing and gagging from the burning haze. By the time that Diodara had realized that Tatsumi had used himself as a distraction, the boy had retreated too far away.

 _I have to beat them so Bulat doesn't die!_ The green-eyed assassin thought, trying to figure out what else he could now that he had incapacitated one of them.

"Fast and sneaky. Just like your father." Diadara noted, pulling his ax apart into separate throwing axes. "Try this!" He let them fly with a full-force throw. Tatsumi dodged them with ease, confidant that his opponent had thrown his weapon away carelessly. He started to charge in, only to sense the axes homing in on his back. He turned and dodged again, failing to completely escape as one cut his left cheek and the other tore away his tie and shirt.

"Should have mentioned that those throwing axes won't stop until they run out of momentum or finally hit you." Tsu piped up, watching Tatsumi's dance between the thrown Teigu.

"Say something sooner!" Tatsumi ducked under one of the axes aiming at his head. "In that case…" He turned and sprinted towards his opponents, feeling the axes give chase. He could see Diadara standing still, as if waiting for Tatsumi.

But before he could get close, an uppercut launched him skyward. "That was their plan, you numbskull!" Bulat shouted, reprimanding his trainee for not seeing the trap. "He was celebrating his victory already!" Diadara caught his axes, observing the newest addition to the fight.

Tsu shrugged at remark. "Thanks for saving me the effort of explaining that to him."

The handsome man turned towards the advisor, his eyes flashing with vigor. "And you, why are you sitting out this fight? Surely you have some personal stake in this."

"That's where you're wrong, Muscles. My goals, plans, and other intentions are far different from yours so I would suggest not making the mistake that we are working towards the same thing." Something about Tsu's reply sent a chill down everyone's spines despite his monotone reply.

"Harsher than before." The ax-wielder commented, before noticing a bloody bandage wrapped around Bulat's leg. "Had to stab yourself to stay awake? That's pretty interesting."

"With my hot blood, nothing like that was going to slow me." Bulat's eyes met Diadara's. "I am Bulat of Night Raid, but you can call me Handsome."

"I'm Mistress Esdeath's servant, Diadara." The ax-wielder charged, knowing that Nyau had rolled clear of the cloud that had choked him while Liver had circled around. The two Beasts still standing closed in, intent on finishing the two assassins.

"Never forget what you're about to see." Bulat ordered Tatsumi, dropping into a low stance. "INCURSIOOOOOO!" The armor-Teigu spawned around him, wrapping the ex-soldier in its impenetrable defenses. He leapt up and met the two attackers. Liver was kicked into a pile of crates not far from Nyau, his impact dispersing the lingering spice to nothingness. Diadara looked up in time for Bulat to bring his spear Neunote down, bisecting the man and his Teigu. All of it happened in a second, leaving Tatsumi without a chance to process what he was seeing.

Bulat landed, looking at the two remaining Beasts. Tatsumi noticed the flute-player had finally recovered from his Fireball Sand attack.

"That's what I meant by being aware of your surroundings, Tatsumi. But you did good to incapacitate one of them." Bulat explained while Tatsumi stared at the remnants of Diadara.

"That was awesome! I never knew you were so strong! Unlike some people!" Tatsumi exclaimed, throwing the verbal barb at their apathetic observer.

"I wasn't called the 'Hundred-Man Slayer' for nothing, back in my army days." Bulat boasted. Liver pulled himself free of the wrecked crates, staggering for a moment.

"You killed 128 men. But you were adept at hunting down spies. It could only be you, the real Incursio wielder: Bulat." The ex-general said, straightening up.

"General Liver, you work for Esdeath?" Bulat seemed stunned, while Tatsumi did his best to recall what Akame had told him about this battle.

"I'm no longer a general. But I wish this could be a happy reunion." The older man took up a combat stance, extending his ring. "But I will complete my mission, even if it is you I must fight."

"Same." Bulat moved, watching as water roared up in columns around the boat. "Water-wielder, eh?"

Nyau finally felt his lungs clear enough to breathe properly, eyes widening at the sight of Liver and Bulat. "I need to support him." He started to raise his flute to his mouth before he caught sight of a blur streaking through the air at him. He rolled away, Tatsumi and his sword occupying the spot he had just left.

"I'm not letting you get away easily." The green-eyed assassin claimed, readying himself to attack again.

All the while, a pair of luminescent eyes studied every action in front of them, trying to predict exactly what outcome was going to materialize.

* * *

 _Village on the outskirts of Capital…._

Akame and Leone in her Lionelle form were watching their protection target as he and his guards handed out rice that had been set aside to aid the villagers.

"Sense anyone unusual nearby?" The red-eyed assassin asked her bestial friend. The enhanced senses given by her Teigu made her ideal for scouting and tracking.

"Nothing. Yet." The blonde added, knowing Akame had been unusually tense about Tatsumi going with Bulat. Especially when they found out that the guys' target was going on a canal cruise via the Dragon Ship.

Akame's stomach rumbled, something that Leone was long used to at this point. She pulled a piece of smoked beef from her pack and offered it to Akame. "From Tatsumi's secret stash of goodies." She didn't receive a reply. Instead, she felt teeth clamp around her wrist as Akame ate the entire piece in a single bite. Leone pulled her hand free with a slight pop as Akame began to chew the offered ration.

"Now that you're fed, mind if I talk about something serious?" The blonde sat down, taking Akame's slight nod as a sign to continue. "I'm not too sure about you and Tatsumi." At the mention of the not-so secret relationship, the red-eyed girl's shoulders stiffened. "Don't get me wrong, you two seem happy. But aren't you two moving rather quickly? You only reunited a few weeks ago and now you're doing who knows what." Akame's cheeks turned a shade of red the blonde hadn't seen before.

Once she settled down a bit, the black-haired assassin replied to the charges. "I fell in love with him a long time ago. Not seeing him might have made it worse because now I want to spend every moment I can with him. Would you believe that he rejected my feelings at first?" Leone's eyes widened, not believing that Tatsumi could be someone that cold. "But he took the time to consider them and came to his own conclusion that he did indeed return my feelings. I know it seems strange but I've lost him once without telling him how I feel, and I don't want to lose him again now that I have. Please just trust that I know what I'm doing."

"A lesson from experience. Use protection." The panicked fluster that the comment sent Akame into made her friend laugh with such fervor that she started to roll around.

* * *

Tsu put a hand over his right eye, fighting back undesired memories at the sight of Teigu wielders battling to the death. _Just like the civil war 500 years ago…_

He cut off the train of thought, forcing his attention back to the subtle time reversal he was using. No one else had noticed, much less acknowledged the visible effects of his machinations. His white hair had already faded to gray, and was now starting to darken even further.

 _I'm using too much energy on this._ He concluded, struggling to squeeze the maximum distortion for his energy. He fisted the hand over his eye, reigning in a desperate impulse. _I can't use it! I have only one more chance, and if I don't use it right we're all gone._

Snapping back into the moment, he could see Tatsumi and Nyau had brought each other to an exhausted standstill. Meanwhile, Bulat and Liver were discussing the possibility of Bulat's defection. Or rather, his refusal to do so.

 _Don't mess up my plans, anyone. It will be as my Emperor willed it if you just play your parts for me._

* * *

Tatsumi struggled to his feet, watching as Bulat rebuffed his former commander's offer. He watched as Liver injected himself with a syringe he had pulled out, remembering what Akame had said.

" _Liver poisoned his blood and used it to inject the poison into Bulat."_

"Big Bro, that's a poison!" he yelled at the older assassin. "He must have some way to get it into us!"

Liver looked shocked that the boy had figured out his trump card. "Clever boy." He pulled his sword across his chest, drawing a shallow line in the flesh. When the blood started to run, he gave a victorious grin. "Now die with that smart mouth. Blade of Blood!" His blood flew through at Tatsumi, shaping itself into deadly skewers. The green-eyed assassin knew he couldn't escape the barrage.

Until Bulat dashed in front of Tatsumi, slashing at the sharpened blood to disperse it. But even with his interference, both of the assassins felt themselves be pierced by the projectiles. When the barrage stopped, Liver sunk to his knees, his entire chest coated in blood from overusing his Teigu.

"It's a draw this time Bulat." He told them before collapsing lifelessly onto the deck. The assassins could feel the poison taking effect, Bulat suffering more from his increased exposure and previous injuries.

"Tatsumi, you still alive?" The handsome man questioned, flecks of blood escaping his mouth. He couldn't turn to face the young boy, his knees giving way.

"For the moment." Tatsumi replied, holding his numbing right arm. He could tell the poison was starting to affect him, the horizon tilting in different directions with each step towards Bulat.

Tsu raised his voice for the first time in a while. "You two have a different problem." The two assassins focused, realizing that they were hearing flute music. They looked at Nyau, amazed as the diminutive boy changed into a massive and muscular man.

Tatsumi slid to his knees next to Bulat, unable to feel his legs. "Tatsumi, take this." Bulat's hand pushed Incusio's key into his arms, making his green eyes widen in surprise. Bulat gave him a push up, forcing his weakened knees to support his weight again.

"Big Bro…" Tatsumi looked at the blade, recalling Akame's words about him using Incursio as his own Teigu after Bulat died.

"Are you insane?" Nyau interrupted the two. "If a commoner puts it on, it will kill him for being too weak."

Tatsumi felt the words try to grip his heart in fear, but he gritted his teeth and cried out. "If Big Bro believes I can do it, then so do I!" Nyau clucked his tongue before charging at the standing assassin, not expecting any serious resistance thanks to Liver's poison.

"Now yell it out Tatsumi! With all your BURNING SOUL!" Bulat shouted to the heavens, echoing across the canal.

Tatsumi stabbed the key into the boards in front of him before screaming out, "INCURSIOOOO!" The monstrous armor began to appear, reshaping itself to its new master. Nyau found his feet rooted to the ground in fear at the sight. Tsu's reaction was to raise an eyebrow while unbidden tears appeared in the corners of his eyes. Bulat smiled, happy to see he had been right about Tatsumi.

"Your feelings are making it evolve… I knew you were the right one..." Bulat whispered as his eyesight faded, the blackness consuming his consciousness and life.

Tatsumi straightened inside his new armor, facing Nyau with a zealous fire igniting his body. "You beast of Esdeath that dared to use Night Raid's name, prepare to pay the price."

"You're getting too cocky boy." Nyau verbally attacked, still feeling the remnants of Incursio's transformation affecting him.

"This armor is forcing me to be stronger." Tatsumi clenched a fist, feeling the armor resonate with his desires. "So I'm going to kill you now."

"Try it!" Nyau charged, raising a fist of his own. Tatsumi met his fist with his own, the impacts simultaneously crashing into each other's faces. But it was Nyau that was thrown into the wall of the Dragon Ship's cabins, his bones audibly smashing under the force of the punch.

Tatsumi felt Incusio dispel itself, his limbs no longer responding to his commands. He felt his eyes closing, giving him a fading glimpse of Tsu running to his side and Bulat, already dead on the deck.

* * *

Tsu reached into his robes and pulled out a syringe, angrily cursing the only survivor of the fight. "Damn it Tatsumi, if you and her hadn't tried to interfere I could have saved you both." He slammed the needle's point into Tatsumi's heart before depressing the plunger. He looked over his shoulder at Bulat's body, a distinct sadness in his eyes. He had only managed to scrap together a single dose of antidote for Liver's poison, the only one that would have been needed in the previous timeline. Feeling a burst of anger, Tsu struck Tatsumi's already unconscious body. Settling down, Tsu began to think about the situation.

"At least the dragon will continue to live. By your will." The dark-haired advisor said into the empty air. He turned when the shouts of canal officials from the dock reached him. He saw that his plan had worked. A variation of his Teigu's ability, Paradox, allowed him to move non-living objects along their timeline in a manner much like Retrace. The only weakness was how the temporal change would damage whatever it moved.

He could feel the boat shudder as a gangplank was raised. After confirming that Tatsumi was stable, Tsu ran to the bodies of the fallen and gathered all the Teigu and hid them in his robes.

Tsu grabbed Tatsumi and Bulat's body, dragging them towards the gangplank as the dock workers rushed on. The shuddering of the boat increased, filling the advisor with fear. "Hurry up! This boat is coming apart!" The workers scrambled behind him while he made his way down, before vanishing into the growing crowd.

* * *

Kurome and Lubbock stood atop a mound of bodies, looking at the torched ruins of the village they had been sent to destroy.

"Wouldn't have expected them to respond with this." Lubbock muttered, identifying a dozen different bandit groups amongst the corpses.

Kurome nodded, humming a small tune to focus her mind past the annihilation they were standing in. "Pulling out all the villagers and tricking bandits to occupy the buildings was brilliant."

Lubbock nodded as one of the soldiers that was accompanying them ran up, holding a letter.

"New orders for you two." He explained, waiting for the two of them to come down. He flinched as Lubbock snapped up the piece of paper.

After reading it, he passed it to Kurome. "You guys keep doing your jobs now, y'hear?" He ordered, receiving a nod. Kurome grabbed his sleeve, dragging him towards the campsite they and the Empire's forces had made before the attack.

"If I'm going to keep getting stuck in the lion's mouth, you're coming too." She explained. Lubbock snorted but complied, setting his feet down and quickly outpacing his much shorter partner.

"So now we're part of Esdeath's enforcers? Wonderful." The green-haired assassin commented, scooping up both his and Kurome's packs. She smiled and took a piece of candy from her pack, enjoying the sweet along with her partner's obedience.

* * *

 _A few days later…_

Tatsumi screamed and sat up, the last vestiges of his nightmare fleeing after his cry. He didn't notice that he wasn't the only one in the room, instead bringing his hands to wrap around his aching torso in a protective wince. He let out a groan from his parched throat, the pain of his scream already settling in.

"You're awake!" a female voice registered in his ears, making him look at the speaker. He was surprised to see an exhausted Leone, her normally well-kept hair in disarray and dark circles under her eyes. "What do you remember from the mission?"

Tatsumi put a hand to his head, trying to keep everything in his head from spilling out from a bout of nausea. "We met Tsu there. And I got attacked by Esdeath's Three Beasts. Bulat killed one, one committed suicide trying to poison both of us, and I killed the last one." He turned to look around the room he was in, realizing it was unfamiliar. "Where are we? And where's Big Bro?"

Leone's exhausted expression fell. "Tatsumi, between the fight and the poison…." She drifted off as Tatsumi stared off into space.

"And what about _him_?" Leone recognized the hard edge in the boy's voice, the inarticulate rage that was seething within him.

"He managed to get both of you off the boat to an underground doctor along with all the Teigu. Good thing considering it was half-sunk by the time anyone got close to it. But you've got bigger problems."

"Bigger problems?" Tatsumi questioned, totally confused. Behind them the door to the room opened. He turned to see Akame, her tired eyes red from crying with matching dark circles under her eyes. She froze at the sight of Tatsumi, bandaged but sitting up in the bed and awake.

"Yep." The blonde whispered before moving out of the way. Tatsumi didn't realize what was happening until he felt the impact of Akame throwing herself at him, pulling him close.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She angrily whispered into his ear, threatening to strangle what little life he had recovered.

"I won't. But I failed to fix anything." He answered, watching as Leone left the room. Akame let go of him to face him properly.

"But you did. The Dragon Ship sunk and the Three Beasts are being held responsible for it. If they weren't already dead thanks to some secret guards assigned by the advisor. Esdeath has had to disavow them at the cost of some face with the public. Even though Bulat died again, you proved it can change. We can change the future. We can save everyone!" Her words struck Tatsumi's heart with a pang of guilt, realizing that he still couldn't understand his own feelings on their plans to change destiny.

"And that means we can still see that bright future someday…"

"Together." She entwined her fingers with his, a genuine smile on her lips.

*#*#*#**#*#*#**#**#*#**#*#*#

Aria walked into Tsu's chambers, flanked by the reincarnated girl he called Schere. She found him lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling while playing with his dark gray hair.

"Still not enough moonlight?" She questioned, watching the young girl go up and poke the advisor like he wasn't one of the most powerful people in the world.

"No. And considering I'm not even using any to reset my day, I've actually grown older for the first time in a millennium. Something those two should be proud of." He gave a playful smile at odds with his usual neutral. "Who knows, I might grow some stubble if it takes too long."

Aria crossed her arms. "Please stop wasting my time. You said you had a reason to call me in?" She watched as he got up into a sitting position, pulling Schere into his lap.

"I need you to run an errand for me now that my plan has run into some interference." His luminescent eyes flashed with unspoken mischief. "But first, I'm going to tell you the story that you've been waiting for."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Once again, the question of what and who Tsu is continues to deepen.**

 **On another note, Lubbock's entry for Tsu's Teigu:**

 **Name: Lo-Shira, The Emperor's Purpose**

 **Type: Unknown**

 **Description: Despite its unknown type, the Teigu seems to cause the user's hair to change colors in reflection of the amount of power it has stored. This power is derived from moonlight physically striking the user.**

 **As always, please review so I can get your feedback. It spurs me on and sharpens each chapter.**


	7. Kill the Memories

**It's been awhile, sorry. Personal matters kept me from working on this as much as I wanted. But here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Mien sat in the hideout's hot spring, making sure the broken bone in her arm had finally set. Once she felt certain of the limb's recovery, she got out and quickly dressed. After putting her shoulder-length pink hair up into a ponytail held by her two hair ribbons, she made her way to the training grounds. She kicked the door to the outdoor area open, ready to get back into the action.

"Somebody train with me right now!" She declared, startling everyone outside. Tatsumi stopped his pushups. Akame, sitting on his back, stopped her humming to the rhythm of his workout. And Leone set down the small boulder she had been shoulder-pressing. All to stare at the new arrival. Making Mien immensely uncomfortable with the fact that she had interrupted them.

"Oh, hey Mien." Tatsumi finally called out, shaking his head to knock some sweat away from his eyes. The motion made the rest of his body buck, forcing Akame to roll with his motion to keep her position.

"I'm glad to see you're all better." The red-eyed girl told her with a hint of a smile.

"What are you doing?" The pinkette hesitantly asked, trying to understand why she had caught them in such a strange set-up.

"This one's really pushing himself, training all the time." Leone's thumb pointed at Akame's current seat. As if to show off, Tatsumi restarted his pushups. Mien took it as a sign of his new behavior.

"From the moment…" A deep breath to recover cut off his reply, "I put on Incursio, and I could feel it. It's packing so much power it's going to take all of my strength to use. So I'm going to become stronger and be like Big Bro." He reached a point where he could take a moment to make eye contact with the sniper. "As it stands, I can barely use it's invisibility for five seconds. If I want to wear it for long periods of time, my only choice is to get stronger."

Mien couldn't stop a slight blush from crossing her face at the serious expression Tatsumi was making. But then she remembered Leone's not-so subtle observations, and quickly crushed the unfair reaction. One look at Akame's uncommonly warm smile at his response confirmed it was the right choice.

"Well it's good to see you understand your limitations." The pinkette replied, looking at Leone.

"I don't know about that. He's already doubled the amount of pushups he did with me on his back from yesterday." The blonde pointed out, smirking at the idea of Tatsumi's relentless growth.

"It's not his fault there's a large weight difference between us." Akame flatly responded, making everyone freeze and the air crackle with tension. The blonde moved and Tatsumi didn't have time to brace himself.

The brawler's fist landed on the top of Akame's head with loud thump, its force transferring down to Tatsumi. He managed to hold himself up against the initial blow, but quickly felt his arms go numb before they collapsed on him. Akame sat atop the flattened boy, holding the welt on her head with a few tears and questions in her eyes. While Leone considered pulverizing her boulder as a follow-up, Mien only looked at her friend with mild disappointment. Apparently the black-haired girl's nature wasn't something that could be magically cured by dating her precious childhood friend.

"You're all here. Good." Najenda stated, having managed to sneak on the quartet of assassins with a full travel pack strapped to her back. The four turned to their boss, wondering what could have brought her out to the training field.

"Boss, going somewhere?" Tatsumi questioned from his spot prostrated under his girlfriend.

"Headquarters. We've got three Teigu and some large intel drops from Lubbock before he got stuck with Kurome." The silver-haired commander said. She set down the great doubled-bladed axe Belvark at her feet, making the ground shift under its weight.

"But isn't that supposed to be extremely heavy?" He got to his feet after Akame deftly rose and stood out of his way.

"Oh this old thing?" The one-eyed woman casually shouldered it, making Tatsumi's jaw drop. "I can't use it as a weapon, but I can transport it."

"Hey," he nudged Mien's shoulder. "Is she a superhuman or something?"

The sniper sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "She's an ex-general. You really need to pay attention." The pinkette spared a moment to look at Najenda's sincere smile before giving another disappointed look at the only male present.

"Akame, you're in charge while I'm gone. Your focus for strategy is 'work together,' got it?" The boss told her.

"Okay, I think we can manage." The red-eyed assassin replied without much thought.

 _So apathetic_. Tatsumi thought before he considered their group's composition. A melee brawler and self-healing tank, a one-shot sword wielder, a long-range sniper, and himself with his mid-range tricks and Incursio. _Actually, it's pretty balanced._

"Don't hurt yourself thinking about it too much." Mien admonished him with a light shoulder slap. "It just means she'll get it done."

Najenda pulled out a small black book and sighed. "Also, I'm going to see about getting some new members since we've got so many stuck in a deadlock in the Capital. Though I'm not quite sure if we'll get any battle-ready recruits. We're going to need them, considering how weak I am."

Tatsumi froze while their boss continued. "You managed to slay Esdeath's Three Beasts and confiscate their Teigu. Though the ice bitch is still matchless, you've done great work. The people on the ship and every soldier that would have faced them owes you their lives. Hell, you even struck a blow at the Empire's public morale." Tatsumi felt a bitter twitch pull his mouth into a painful half-smile, half-frown position. "You've become strong, Tatsumi. Keep going and you'll only become greater."

"Boss…" Tatsumi couldn't really take the praise, not when he knew why it had turned out like it had.

Leone, seeming to sense this, cut him off. "You know, when I was talking to Bulat once, he told me you might one day surpass him and he wanted nothing more than to see it happen."

"Big Bro…" Tatsumi ducked his head to hide the mixed tears of grief and happiness. A moment later he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and let himself be pulled into Akame's embrace.

Checking to make sure all of her bags were stable, Najenda turned to leave. "Be proud of yourself Tatsumi, you've started to change things around here. So survive to become the man that Bulat believed you had within you." Her words managed to reach him, even as her feet carried her away.

* * *

Aria stepped out of the carriage into the coastal town, feeling a strong sea breeze caress her cheeks. She took a second to get her bearings, turning in a circle to find the harbor. Her hood dropped under the force of the wind, letting her blonde hair loose and allowing the sun to touch her no-longer deathly pale skin. Emparthos, now loose enough to be classified as a tight necklace, twirled around her neck and occasionally caught on the cloth of her high-necked white silk dress and her familiar red cloak. Her unofficial uniform as Tsu's authority outside of the Capital he was caged in.

 _This is the closest port to the islands he spoke of_. She thought as she walked down the streets, the ocean slowly growing behind the buildings she passed. After clearing the final block, she began to look around the dock in search of a passenger ship or any type of private vessel she could hire.

By the time she found a boat and hired it to sail tomorrow, it was nearly nighttime and she could hear the rowdy sailors making their way into various bars and taverns for their daily imbibing. So she set out and found an inn several blocks away to stay in for the night. The middle-aged man seemed a bit confused by her appearance but didn't question her before he gave a room key. By the time she reached her given room, a sense of uneasiness had settled over the former noble. To calm her building trepidation at the journey, she jumped onto the provided bed and remembered the conversation that had started this.

* * *

 _Earlier…._

Tsu picked up Schere and carried her to her room in his large suite of rooms. Aria watched as he tucked the four year-old doppelganger in with a tenderness that told her all she needed about his heart. He took a seat nearby, making sure his mother-of-pearl eyes met the young girl's.

"A long time ago, a young boy lived on an island of monks. One day, a strange man arrived by ship and asked the monks for help. But they refused the stranger and told him to leave. Meanwhile, the boy played on the beach near the ship, curious about the people that had come to his home. When the man returned from the monks, sad that they refused him, he saw the boy playing on the beach."

"Why did the boy live on the island with the mean monks?" Schere questioned, wanting to know more. Aria silently agreed, realizing that Tsu was telling her his life story in the guise of a mere bedtime tale.

Tsu gave the purple-haired girl an understanding smile. "Because it was the only place he knew. And the monks weren't mean to him." He watched the slow nods of the females before he continued. "The strange man asked the boy if he lived on the island. The boy told him that he did. And so the boy asked the man if he was from a place far away. The man chuckled and said yes. Then the boy asked him to take him along the next time he visited the island. The man agreed to do it, but only if the boy could convince the monks to help him. The boy smiled and agreed, already knowing the way to make the monks do anything. So that night the strange man sailed home while the boy ran into the forest on the island."

"Why would he do that? It sounds scary." The girl pulled her sheets up closer, shivering at the thought of being alone in the dark.

"Because that night was a special night. The full moon was shining bright over the island, meaning the monk's god would be out in the forest."

"The monk's god?"

"Yes, a god of wisdom and knowledge. A friendly god who lived in the forest. And the boy searched for the god until he found him in a clearing. The boy told the god about his deal with the strange man and the god laughed. He laughed because the boy was the only person to ever stand in his presence and he came to ask something so simple. And so the god talked to the boy through the night, telling him many things about the world beyond the island and about the boy himself. By the time the god was finished, the moon was going to set and the sun would rise. So the god left the boy in the clearing and gave him a warning: The monks would not be happy with the boy."

"Why not?"

"Because he had seen their god and spoken to him, yet they could not. So the boy went to the monks and told them what the god had told him. When the monks realized what the boy had done and believed him, they locked him in a cage."

"Why would they do that? Shouldn't they be happy the boy talked to the god?"

"They were happy in their own way, but they were jealous too. The god didn't show himself to anyone and yet the boy had talked the entire night with him. And so the boy was trapped in the cage for a long time. Until the boy was no longer a boy, but a young man. That was when the strange man came back to the island. When he heard about what happened to the boy, the strange man made his way to the monk's home and set the boy free!" Tsu exclaimed like the man had defeated some great evil.

Schere smiled and her eyelids drooped. "Then what happened?"

Tsu felt a sad smile replace his passive storytelling face. "The strange man took the boy away from the monks, and let him see the world beyond the island." He looked at the child, now fully asleep.

He turned to Aria, who was waiting for him by the door to the room. They exited and Tsu closed the door, making sure Schere wouldn't hear them.

"So, is that all you're going to tell me? A child's story?" the blonde questioned him, pressing close now that she had witnessed one of his vulnerable moments. It was the only thing she could think of to get him to open up.

A glint of mischief and sadness crossed Tsu's eyes and settled in his smile. "I can't tell you most of it myself. That's what your next mission is: Go back to the island I came from. There you will find all the clues you need to figure out the rest of my story yourself." He replied, averting his eyes. "I need to stay here and make sure Esdeath doesn't figure out who is leaking intelligence or that Kurome and Lubbock are Night Raid. So do this and you'll get your complete answer."

* * *

Akame looked at Leone, who was soon leaving with Tatsumi to go inspect one of Lubbock's safe houses in the Capital before meeting with Tsu for their next information drop.

"Don't let him get into any trouble. Leave him at the safe house..." Akame instructed the blonde, who was yawning at the boring lecture.

"Gosh, you already sound like his wife." Leone told her with a sly smile, enjoying the derailment of the red-eyed girl's commands and abrupt stuttering. "But I get it. After all that kid's been through, he needs a break from everything to understand it all."

Akame nodded her agreement, still a bit flushed from her older friend's insinuations. "With half our forces stuck under the thumbs of the Capital, we all need to be more cautious and maintain ourselves." Her gaze flickered passed the blonde to a barely noticeable bottle of sake in the dining room.

Leone gave the words a serious thought before turning to leave. "Don't worry, I'll bring back some presents for you. Just make sure you show him what you got!" The moment she finished her proclamation, she closed the door on any stammered answer from the profusely blushing black-haired assassin.

* * *

 _Imperial City…_

Tsu opened his eyes, fighting the mental agony that struck him every morning after his automatic Retrace. He gritted his teeth and held his hands up in front of his eyes, forcing himself to acknowledge that they weren't pinned to the ground with a stake running through them.

"The problem with living the same day over and over is that you never heal your scars." He muttered, pushing himself off of the covered bed that he had been laying on, still wearing his white robe. He didn't actually need to sleep, but to keep his appearance as a human he occasionally pretended to do so. Sleeping, eating, and other necessary life functions were not quite necessary thanks to the power of Lo-Shira and its Retrace. But that would only solidify his true nature as a monster.

He smirked to himself as he made his way to the Emperor's audience chambers. _When did I stop being human? When I was granted this power? When my Emperor freed me from my cage? No, it's obvious…. The night I met the Danger-Beast god Luna was my last day as a human._

Tsu barely paid attention to what was going on, offering only thoughtless platitudes and subtle digs about the Prime Minister's weight when the opportunities arose. Once the presence of the two advisors was no longer needed, he returned to his suite of rooms to continue working. He felt a sigh bubble up at all the bureaucracy that had replaced the old system. _Oh how I miss the days when my words were only second to the laws of my Emperor. But at least I'm not in that dull haze._

As anyone who lived a long enough life could tell, there were exciting times and boring times. And for Tsu those boring times were often centuries spent in a hazy partial conscious state that left him with little recollections of the time and only a vague knowledge of what had happened. He turned his mental efforts away from recollecting and pointed them at the stack of orders he needed to fill out. Guard changes and prisoner transfers for the prisons, public execution orders, establishing patrol groups and routes for the Capital's Imperial Police, and a few private intelligence reports to pass off to Leone at their next drop-off. The reports weren't even his anymore, instead coming from Aria's backlog and own investigations since he was being politically blocked from directly interfering with anything beyond his spheres of control as head of the judicial system. A total neutering as an informant, if he admitted it. After a few hours of the hand-numbing work, he really wanted a chance to enjoy a good warm drink under the sun.

 _Which will have to wait until after I meet with Esdeath's new squad._ He thought in irritation. Was he mad that his plans were being torn apart or because no one seemed to understand the plans in the first place? _Yes._ Yet here he was, in the Capital, doing everything he could strengthen the Empire while undermining its forces. Whose side was he on? _The Empire's._ Then why help the rebels? _To protect the innocent and use them to destroy the corruption eating away at my Emperor's good creation, all while refining the good traits of the ones who will survive thanks to my plans_.

A flash of purple and a tug on his robe snapped him out of his self-contemplation, signaling it was time for a light meal with Schere. He scooped up the four-year old while she giggled, knowing it was his way of making up for time lost working. It had only taken Schere a few days to understand the situation and quickly make the best of it.

As he carried her to the palace's kitchens, Tsu considered the very hypocrisy he was carrying. He had lied to Aria, flat-out. Nearly everything he said was a lie with some speculation on his part, but none of that applied to Schere. Because she wasn't even from this timeline. The young girl currently in his arms was none other than the Scheele of the previous timeline. One who thankfully had no memories of either of her future lives.

As to how he had broken this taboo in his mind; it was a stupid mistake that he couldn't fix. After receiving the information about Scheele's death that he had meticulously planned to prevent, he had snapped. His angry feet carried him to her childhood home, and in a fit he used his power on it. And not just a little bit. No, he had poured every bit of power he had gathered across the millennium, even using his own blood to reflect more moonlight to himself by creating a puddle around his feet. Before long he had Retraced it all the way back to the previous timeline, leaving a small child standing in front of him with an ancient ruin that was supposedly her house behind.

He had immediately explained that her home was gone, that he would take care of her, and made other types of promises to soothe the very confused girl before spiriting away the time-shifted child. Before long he found himself traveling in a carriage with her, outside the Capital with a new on-the-fly plan that needed to be executed. And lying to Aria.

A light fist hitting him told him that he had arrived, and with a practiced gentility he set her down to choose what she wanted from the dozens of cooks. The adults looked at him for confirmation of her choices, making sure to suggest healthy foods under his malevolently parental glares.

After enjoying his meal with her, he returned to the suites with his charge and began to prepare for his meeting with Esdeath's newest enforcers. _Emperor, aid my resolve as I protect your legacy._

* * *

Kurome led Lubbock through the halls, skillfully hurrying to the meeting room. By the time the short assassin had reached the hallway where the room was, the two were surprised to see a navy blue-haired male bracing his back against the door while frantically looking at a piece of paper. The two Night Raid members quickly put the pieces together, absorbing the boy's burlap sack of fish, blue leather coat, and stitched-anchor scarf.

"Sailor, what's got you panicking?" Lubbock questioned, squatting near the shivering navy member.

The boy's hands latched onto Lubbock's gray greatcoat, "Please tell me you're part of the new security squad, please!" His mildly accented words giving him away as another country boy stuck in the city. "We're supposed to be meeting here and the head torturer is sitting in there!"

Lubbock looked away from the boy and back to Kurome, who stood by watching with one eyebrow raised in amusement. She reached into her pouch and pulled out several sticks of pocky to munch on while waiting for Lubbock to give a response.

The green-haired assassin sighed before pulling the sailor to his feet, "We are. Now try making sense. I know the Capital can be strange but whimpering isn't going to make it easier to get by."

The naval-themed boy straightened up at the admonishment before nodding. "Of course, of course. Sorry about that. My name is Wave. And you two are….?" He looked from Lubbock to Kurome and back again several times. The black-haired girl sensed the way his eyes moved from the pocky stick in her mouth to her snack pouch. _Like hell am I sharing with you_. She clutched her candy close to her chest.

"Tracker." Lubbock gave his alias, then noticed where Wave was looking. He threw an arm over the boy's shoulder. "And that is Kurome, who won't share her snacks no matter how much you look at them." Wave flinched and turned back to Lubbock, red-faced.

"Oh, I wasn't… I mean I-" His bumbling attempts to respond were interrupted by an excited shout.

"Salutations new teammates!" An orange-haired girl with mechanical arms jogged up with a small dog on a leash bouncing behind her. She stopped short of them and saluted, in accordance with her Imperial Police uniform. "My name is Seryu Ubiquitous!" The three turned to her, each feeling apprehension at her approach for their own reasons. Kurome broke the pocky that she was holding and quickly tossed both pieces into her mouth while Lubbock's arm tightened around Wave before relaxing. The poor sailor was too busy staring at the girl's prosthetics to even notice.

"This is certainly not stylish!" A man's unusually high-pitched voice complained, making them look behind Seryu to see a well-groomed man in a lab coat over a yellow suit. He brushed his black hair along his white-streaked section, letting out an annoyed noise. "I was planning on making such a great first impression, but now…." He paused while his eyes caught both Lubbock and Wave. He strode immediately over to them, his eyes running all over them with enough fervor to make Kurome shiver. "Though you two are quite stylish."

The two in question immediately balked at the attempted flirtation, scrambling backwards until they hit the door to the meeting room. The sound of more feet approaching made them turn, hoping to find salvation arriving. The three still standing also turned, curious about the arriving group.

Who they saw were two males, one very familiar with his white robe and neutral expression while the other was new, his blond hair pinned back with a metal feather and an open white robe of his own covering his black shirt and pants.

"Why are you all standing outside?" Tsu's tone managed to be authoritative despite its lack of emphasis or emotion. Kurome and Lubbock were surprised by the advisor's presence, especially with his less than favorable view of General Esdeath.

"Advisor, sir! I didn't expect to find you here!" Seryu bounded up to her former commander in the Imperial Garrison. "Are you joining this group?"

Tsu's emotionless eyes flicked away from the orange-haired girl to the two members of Night Raid before returning. "I'm not. But Run here," he gestured to the blond next to him, "is. I merely came to discuss certain protocols with your new leader and ran into him."

Seeming satisfied with his introduction, Run bowed and noticed the closed door of the meeting room. "Is this not the right room? Or perhaps it's still locked?" He elegantly stepped through the small crowd gathered nearby and opened the door to reveal a member of the Incineration Squad pouring out fresh tea into enough cups for their large group.

Kurome watched with mild interest as the man jumped at the captive audience he found himself performing in front of. Lubbock used the moment to smack Wave over the head for being scared of something so ordinary and not all that surprising.

The Incineration Squad member bowed and made several panicked noises. "I'm sorry to be the last one to introduce myself, considering I'm probably the oldest one here despite my shyness. My name is Bols and I look forward to working with all of you."

Everyone outside took a second to recover while Run smiled at Bols and eagerly sampled the offered tea. While the blonde sipped away, the rest of them entered and took seats. All except for Tsu, who stood nearly hidden to the side with an air of impatience.

After several minutes of everyone enjoying their tea, courtesy of Bols, Tsu spoke up. "It appears that your commanding officer is late. As such I will-" His proclamation was interrupted by the arrival of a masked woman. She strode into the room, as though challenging everyone in the room.

"General, please save your testing for another day." Tsu's words took on a hint of annoyance, raising a hand to the bridge of his nose. The masked female started at his words, before removing her mask.

"How else am I to gauge them and their weaknesses without fighting?" Esdeath questioned the advisor with her own annoyance.

"I said another time. You may have been given this security squad at the Emperor's request, but I am here to remind you that both you and the members of your squad will not be given leniency when operating in my jurisdiction."

"Is that a threat?" Everyone felt the room grow cold as ice coated everything within several feet of the general.

"It's a warning. Civility is expected of the Emperor's servants. Simply ask any of the three here that have worked for me." With his piece said, Tsu left the room, which seemed to ease some of the cold tension in the room. Though it did nothing for the icy floors.

Kurome looked at Esdeath, surprised that the fearsome general had listened to him. "I imagine that working with the advisor is not something you enjoy?"

The icy-colored woman looked at Kurome, an expression of mild disgust on her face. "I find his methods… restraining."

Kurome internally sighed with relief while Seryu spoke up. "But of course he is! He's in charge of the capital's justice system. So he enjoys making everyone follow his rules." The orange hair girl smiled, as if remembering something fond.

Esdeath's head fell slightly. "That may be, but we are above his jurisdiction. The Emperor has gathered all of us to eliminate Teigu users and bandits from the area around the Capital." She shot a look at Lubbock, who froze under her gaze. "So today, I announce the inception of the special security squad, the Jaegers."

* * *

Aria's morning was already going better than she could have hoped. Though the ship she had chartered was too small for any noble-born to even consider, her time with Tsu had showed her the error of those thoughts. They had set sail in the gray of dawn and were already out of sight of land. She turned from her spot on the side railing to look in the direction of the rising sun.

"So, why is a girl like you looking to head to the forbidden isles?" The gravelly voice of the captain sounded out next to her, startling her out of her thoughts. No one had snuck up on her so effectively before. _In the Capital that would have been fatal._

Taking a second to regain some mental composure, the blonde turned to the grizzled sailor. "I have a mission that requires me to go there. My master told me that the answers I'm seeking are located on the islands."

The captain quirked an eyebrow upward, his eyes settled on Emparthos wrapped around the high neckline of her white dress. "Sad to hear that a girl as pretty as you is a slave." He had figured her for an upper-class heiress, not a well-groomed attendee.

She felt a wry smile form on her face. "I'm not. He's my master because I am his disciple. He saved my life and has taught me more than I could ever hope to learn elsewhere."

"Saved your life?" The captain gave a smile of his own. "From a forced marriage or some other aristocratic problem?" His cheeky grin matched the slight mocking tone he took with the blonde.

Rather than give him a response, she reached up and unbuttoned the top of her dress and pulled it down, exposing her neck and a bit of her collarbone to the sunlight. A thick, silvery scar ran from below the remaining cloth to just under her chin, a permanent reminder of Tatsumi's fatal blow on that night so long ago.

The captain gasped in shock, recognizing that the blow that left such a mark would have surely killed anyone. He took a moment to recollect himself after the sight. "I would also follow anyone that could make that possible." His sincere reply made Aria nod. He turned and started to walk away from her before pausing. "When we get there, I would ask that you realize it'll be more dangerous than sailing across the open sea."

"I'm prepared for that." She replied cryptically, closing up her dress with one hand and fingering the spikes of Emparthos with her other.

* * *

Leone threw open the door to the book-traders, setting off small dust eddies. She waved a hand in front of her face to clear the air while Tatsumi stood behind her in the morning foot-traffic.

"Welcome to the shop!" The blonde proclaimed, turning to watch Tatsumi step into the secret base.

"It's dirty." He observed, noticing a brand-new broom sitting in the corner behind the myriad of bookshelves and the service counter.

"Which is why you'll be cleaning this place up while I meet with our spy friend." She instructed him, pointing to a small room behind the counter. "Lubbock made this place back before he got embedded alongside Kurome, so we might as well use this to our advantage."

"What is the point of this place then? We have three people inside the Imperial Palace. Why aren't we striking?" He objected, letting his eyes drift across the dusty spines in search of interesting titles to distract himself.

"Because the Revolution's not ready. As much as all of us want that Prime Minister's head, if we're not careful about it, there won't be a country left over to have saved. Much less any chance of succeeding or surviving."

Tatsumi sighed, seeing the point she was trying to make. He grabbed the broom while Leone made her way to the front door. "What should I do if customers come in?"

The blonde gave him a confused look, her hand on the door handle. "Serve 'em. This is a store and you're now in charge of it!" She flashed him a smile before disappearing outside.

Tatsumi contemplated his current predicament before resigning himself to cleaning the store. Taking his time to sweep the floors, dust the shelves, and even clean the cobwebs from the window corners, he lost himself to the menial labor. As the afternoon arrived, he opened the store's door to let in some fresh air and signal that the place was open.

Now satisfied with his set-up, Tatsumi returned to a book that he had caught his eye while cleaning. Grabbing it before sitting on a stool behind the desk. Cracking open the tome to its first page, he quickly lost himself to the story.

* * *

Leone wasn't too surprised that Tsu would prefer to meet at a café. He was high-class like that. But she didn't expect it to be on the main street, only a few blocks from the palace. She took a look at her less than proper attire before deciding it wasn't going to make her reputation worse. She caught sight of her target sitting at an outside table, and felt a smirk cross her face.

"Hey, sweetie!" She called out, throwing an extra sway into her steps as the entire street watched her make her way to Tsu's table. She watched his face manage to remain composed despite the clear annoyance in his eyes.

"Welcome back." He replied once she sat down across from him before lowering his voice. "You realize that rumors are going to be spread that you're my personal courtesan after that?" He set several small scraps of paper on the table for the blonde to quickly take.

"Really? You must be flattered." Leone read the miniature reports. "How are Lubbock and Kurome doing in that new security squad? It's already the talk of the town."

"They are doing fine, other than being that close to Seryu Ubiquitous without being able to kill her." He noticed the assassin's fist clench at the name. "But that's a different issue. How are Tatsumi and Akame? I know Tatsumi's not exactly emotionally literate thanks to me, but I certainly hope he hasn't debased himself further."

"Those two are stuck in the rut of wanting to move forward, but being too afraid to. Typical first-time issues."

"Good. I'd rather they stay like that." Tsu leaned back, relaxing at the common gossip. The blonde let an eyebrow raise at his comment.

"You are really old-fashioned. If they want to, they should be able to."

"What's wrong with believing that they need to be properly committed to their path?"

Leone rolled her eyes. "Because they are living their lives. Which means making mistakes, learning as they go, and loving with everything they have."

Tsu leaned forward, his eyes suddenly burning with an unnatural intensity. "Can you really say that as an assassin? A single mistake, a single word wrong could end your life. Are you willing to watch them die or suffer from another's fatal mistakes?"

Leone slammed her hands onto the table, standing over the white-themed millennial. "You would rather that they die without each other's comfort? Without knowing any joy? Are you that heartless?"

Tsu mouthed a response that Leone failed to hear despite her enhanced hearing, looking up at her with defiant authority. "There's a tournament later for Esdeath to find someone to wield Extase. Her whole squad and I will also be in attendance. Make sure he doesn't come, we both know he's not likely to restrain himself." His final part said, the advisor-spy stood up and turned to leave. But not before he offered one last loud comment. "When I see you tonight, I'll make sure the whole block is sending in noise complaints, not just your neighbors."

Leone barely had time to process the comment before she caught the various people milling around already whispering about her and Tsu. Realizing what he had just done, she couldn't help but feel a blushing smirk on her face. "He's less timid than Tatsumi, I'll give him that."

* * *

Lubbock looked around the private box of the fighting arena, still trying to gauge his chances of being discovered or otherwise removed from the group. The memory of Esdeath's displeasure about his supposed lack of a Teigu made him shiver. _If Kurome hadn't spoken up, I would be an icicle._ He looked over at his short partner, unsurprised to see her eating more candy.

"Slave-boy, come over here." Tsu's neutral tone made the new name for Lubbock more insulting. Lubbock turned to face the advisor for the first time, only to find himself stunned. Sitting across a small table from the white-haired man was a 4 year-old girl with long, unnaturally familiar purple hair. The advisor turned back to Lubbock. "Why are you still standing there?"

"Oh, right." Slightly numb from the haunting doppelganger, the green-haired assassin moved next to Tsu. "What did you need?"

"I want you to watch over my daughter Schere while I look for the missing General." He pointed to an empty seat in the box before standing up. "If she ends up with a sweet tooth like Kurome's, I'm blaming you." He started to walk away, clearly not waiting for an answer.

"That's pretty easy…. Wait a minute! Your daughter?!" Lubbock's raised voice caught the ears of all the Jaegers, making them turn to face the two speaking.

"Yes. My adopted daughter. I am quite fond of children and make it my duty to raise some from each generation in the proper Imperial way." Tsu's eyes betrayed nothing to the information-gatherer. "If that's all, I'm certain you will likely be capable. If you have any questions, ask Bols. He is quite the family man according to the rumors."

Lubbock watched as the millennia-old boy-man elegantly glided through the crowd to leave. Once he was certain that everyone's attention was back on the tournament, Lubbock took a second to scan the crowd before sitting across from Schere.

"Just where the hell is Aria at a time like this?" He muttered, unable to find Tsu's naïve, but loyal, blond companion. A sudden pit forming in his stomach told him it wasn't anywhere safe.

* * *

Tatsumi could barely see the afternoon crowd that he was running through, trying to escape the truths of the book he had been reading.

 _Your Love is My Lie_ was the unique title of the work that had forced him into this panic, something he would have never suffered if it weren't so familiar. The story was about a man who returns to his hometown after his twin brother is killed. At the funeral, he meets his brother's wife and they slowly fall in love. But he notices how she constantly mistakes his name for his brother's. How she switched out his clothing for his brother's. And many, many other things that convinced him she was using the man to replace his dead brother entirely.

By the time the main character figured out what was happening, the seeds of doubt Tatsumi had been hiding for so long sprung forth with accusations. She was using him. She wasn't his childhood friend Akame, but a time traveler brought there by Tsu. She was only focused on changing the future, not him or their relationship. She was replacing her dead Tatsumi with him.

 _Shut up!_ He mentally screamed at his hidden fears. His charge through the crowd abruptly ended when the crowd did. Taking a second to recognize the street he was on, Tatsumi found himself with too many questions and not enough answers.

"Boy, come over here. You look too troubled to be running around in the sun." A woman's voice made him turn to a small shop nearby. Sitting on a bench outside, a woman holding two ice creams was looking at him with warm icy-blue eyes. His eyes widened, taking in the woman's well-developed curves beneath a black full-length dress. Her blue hair flowed past her waist and twirled in the light breeze, convincing him that this wasn't an illusion.

The woman cocked her head and held out one of the ice creams. "Well?" Tatsumi didn't take the time to think before he grabbed the cold treat, hoping it would cool off his overloaded mind.

"Thanks." He told her before sitting next to the kind woman, making her smile.

"What's got you all worked up? A boy your age shouldn't have that much to worry about." Despite the prying nature of her question, the warmth of her voice convinced Tatsumi that he should answer.

"Love." He replied, trying to keep a reign on his own spinning views of the emotion.

She gave a wry smile. "So that's what got you down? Is it because you love someone or because someone loves you?"

 _Great question._ "My girlfriend used to love someone that looked a lot like me, until he died suddenly. We met and started dating only a little bit after that. Now I'm doubting whether she loves me for me, or because I remind of that guy." Tatsumi rested his elbows on his knees, hunching himself over. "And the worst part is that I'm even doubting. I should know the answer but I don't. And now it's tearing me up."

Tatsumi heard the slap before he felt it. He let out a hiss of pain immediately covered the sore cheek. "You're an idiot. What matters is-"

"General Esdeath. Assaulting civilians will not be tolerated." A disturbingly familiar voice proclaimed flatly. Tatsumi turned to see Tsu standing there, an uncharacteristically hostile look in his eyes. When the luminescent white eyes met his own green ones, shock replaced everything else in them. "Tatsumi?"

"Old man?" The young assassin muttered, catching the attention of the woman. He saw a quick smile cross her face as her eyes became as cold as their color.

"Advisor, I wish to inform the Emperor that my search is over. I've found the one that I love." She replied to Tsu, slipping an arm around Tatsumi's shoulders. He panicked and flinched, realizing that he was currently sitting next to the deadliest member of the Imperial Army. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, rendering him immobile. She brought her lips close to his ear and whispered, "play along and we both live."

"You dare…." Tsu started to answer her, his rage reaching his voice for the first time Tatsumi have ever heard it not directed at him.

"By the Emperor's decree, remember Advisor? Whoever I chose would become mine, no matter their affiliation, status, or other qualifications? Surely you don't mean to disobey the Emperor?" Her last question took on a mocking tone that made Tatsumi a little nauseated.

Tsu's hands balled into fists for a few seconds before they relaxed. "I cannot disobey the Emperor. Take him." The white-haired man spat the last two words out with such venom that Tatsumi recoiled like he'd been punched.

As Tsu stalked off, he felt Esdeath stand up. Which dragged him to his feet considering her grip on him. "Come along now, we must not wait time." She told him, setting off down the road without waiting for him to move. Before Tatsumi realized it, he was being dragged.

A thought only reached him as he looked over his shoulder to see the Imperial Palace getting closer.

 _What did I just get myself into?_

* * *

 **What awaits Aria on the forbidden islands? Will Lubbock ever get a decent compliment from someone?**

 **Even though the hands of fate were pushed away, Tatsumi still managed to fall into Esdeath's clutches.**

 **As always, please review to help a writer. It keeps us motivated and in touch with you, the readers.**


	8. Kill the Mystery

**I'm back! And this story has over 5000 views! You guys are all awesome! Now, onto the chapter!**

* * *

Tatsumi found himself in the Imperial Palace, seated in what appeared to be the Jaeger's main room considering the group currently eyeing him up.

He spotted Lubbock and Kurome standing next to each other, giving no external signal that they knew him. He kept looking around, searching for any other familiar faces. Unfortunately, he found one in Seryu Ubiquitous. He felt his fists ball while she smiled and walked up to him.

"I remember you! That guy that got lost a while back." She gave him a pat on the head, the cold metal fingers reminding Tatsumi of how Sheele had severed her real arms. "Don't worry, you'll be joining us soon enough."

The phrasing made Tatsumi perk up, his fists unclenching. "Joining you?"

"Of course Tatsumi. You'll earn your own Teigu and serve as a back-up to the Jaegers." Everyone turned to see Esdeath, who had just returned from a meeting with the Emperor about the official status of her reward.

"Uhm, but I…" Tatsumi started to think a lie, some kind of cover. He felt something shift in the sleeve of his coat, giving him the bolt of inspiration. "I'm no fighter. I'm a simple shopkeep and trader!" He reached for the shifting bundle, and quickly drew it out. He opened the sack of cloth, revealing various pouches of spices. Everyone other than Esdeath and Kurome looked at him quizzically, not understanding what the fine powders proved. The youngest assassin caught a whiff of the fragrant masses, causing her stomach to rumble and forcing her to munch on more of her candy to quiet it.

Esdeath, however, smiled at him. He could barely understand why that response seemed to please her before he was being dragged towards what he suspected was a private room. He dropped the spices, disarming himself unintentionally.

"You get that, new guy!" Lubbock cheered with tears of clear annoyance in his eyes. For a moment, Tatsumi considered throwing something at the sex fiend. But before he could decide, the door slammed shut, cutting him off from the Jaegers.

* * *

Esdeath threw Tatsumi onto her bed, and relaxed herself. No one would dare intrude or even risk getting close to her private quarters. The young boy looked at her with trepidation, uncertain of what was going to happen to him. _Cautious considering his position. Smart boy._

"I knew you knew that demon, but I didn't expect to find one of his children." She explained, watching him jump at the information.

"W-w-what? How do you know that? What has the old man told you?" He demanded, switching gears from timid to angry with the speed of a scorned youth.

She felt a sneer cross her face. "That monster and I barely talk. What I have learned is through my spies and listening to whispers. He sends orders and I obey under coercion. I loathe that arrangement." She eyed Tatsumi's guarded expression. "But I see I'm not the only one affected by that demon's machinations."

"Just what are you getting at?"

Their eyes met and held each other, struggling for dominance. "What I want, is for you to aid me in destroying that monster. He seems to have no ability to harm his children."

"I can tell you, he believes in physical discipline." Tatsumi rolled his eyes at the incorrect information. Sensing that he wasn't understanding, Esdeath realized that this wasn't going to be easy. _Really, is this boy that dense? I had such high hopes for him._

"You must understand. Now that I've claimed you, I own you and your life." She watched the grim realization cross his face. "But I'm not heartless. I won't force you into anything out of consideration for your actual relationship, failure that it might be." He looked like an arrow had pierced his heart. "But I need your help to take the advisor down. And you can do that willingly or as a martyr."

She watched as Tatsumi's green eyes closed, waiting for his response. He took several deep breaths before opening them and meeting her ice-blue eyes with his own steely gaze. "I'm in. But I expect compensation."

Despite the intensity of the moment, Esdeath felt herself smile. _So begins his downfall_.

* * *

Lubbock and Kurome were in the Jaeger's main room, watching as Bols and Wave coordinated themselves to make a meal. They were about to be served when the door slammed open, revealing the advisor with a level of unreadability that no one could hope to comprehend.

"Slave-boy, I need you. There's a special mission from the Emperor to complete." Tsu explained, striding forth to grab Lubbock by the arm. Before Lubbock could even consider responding, his plate had moved in front of Kurome and a familiar sword sheath was pushing into his opposite side's ribs.

Lubbock's sense of betrayal only deepened with Kurome's exit comment. "Have fun. Don't break my property."

 _Why do I put up with this again?_

* * *

Aria stepped off the grounded boat, the pristine beach completely silent other than the rhythmic pounding of the waves against it. She looked at the heavy forest in front of her, and caught sight of some shaped stones in the tangle of vegetation.

Turning back to the boat and its captain, she called out to him. "I'm about to go in, withdraw but be ready to land again." The captain nodded, retreating from her view. Aria turned back and strode towards the stones, leaving the beach behind. She felt a chill crawl up her back despite the red cloak wrapped around her shoulders to protect from the chill of the shadowed forest floor. The stones marked the beginnings of a path.

The path was still visible, thick slabs of shaped rock edged by long grasses and the occasional shrub growing between the cracks. She strode along the old path, using it to hasten her journey towards the heart of the forest. As she walked, she noticed how the air was practically still. No birds calling out or small insects droning left the forest with an empty feeling that put her on guard.

The sound of rustling beyond the path's grasses was the only warning she received before a shadow launched over her head, moving in a definitively predatory way. Aria looked at the spot where the shadow landed, catching sight of a strange leonine Danger Beast before it vanished back into the forest's gloom.

She stood still for a moment, waiting for the Danger Beast to return. She let Emparthos activate, selecting a sinful memory of her own to sacrifice as fuel for its abilities.

 _An 8-year old Aria stood in her home's darkened kitchen, a sliver of moonlight highlighting a wooden block holding several cooking knives. Hesitating for a moment, the child-Aria reached out for one of the knives, gripping and then swiftly pulling it free. She staggered at the unexpected weight of the cooking knife before settling down and pointing its edge at her wrist. If she couldn't flee the horrors of her family, at least she could die to escape it._

The rallying growl of the leonine Danger Beast brought Aria back to reality, the beast already leaping at her. She felt the grip materialize in her hand, and instinctively swung up to cut through her attacker. As blood splashed onto her and dyed her white dress crimson, the two halves of the Danger Beast landed to either of her sides.

After flicking some blood away from her eyes, Aria looked at her now-stained dress and the knife born from her attempted suicide. The hand-thick blade was slick with blood from its black handle to its tip, a distance that approached two full feet in length. While Aria could calmly assess this as impractical in the kitchen, she saw no reason to complain about its more weaponized size. She spared a glance at the leonine that had tried to kill her, noting its mossy green fur and unusually long claws. Thankfully, it appeared to only be five feet long from nose to tail, and barely reached her waist in height, making it smaller than most Danger Beasts of its type.

More growls started to echo in the forest, letting the girl know that she was no longer alone. Aria took a two-handed grip on her weapon, before losing herself to the battle as the creature's friends arrived. As her eyesight tunneled and her senses extended, Aria kept moving forward against the waves of Danger Beasts, flowing through the attacks like water over rocks in a stream. She occasionally felt a claw try to catch her cloak, but she skillfully used the cloth to lure and evade more strikes while dealing her own. She considered counting how many of the creatures were slain before wisely deciding it would be a waste of time considering how many pieces most of them were being reduced to. Even as she battled, she felt the details and emotions behind her suicide attempt fading from her mind, leaving only a vague awareness of the event behind. The price for her survival but one that always left her feeling hollow.

By the time she no longer sensed any enemies, her feet left the stone path for the hard-packed earth in front of a pile of ancient stone that vaguely resembled a building. _Imperial records said this place was destroyed,_ she remembered with mild sadness _._ She looked over the ruin, letting the sunlight piercing the gaps in the structure give her ideas of how to enter it. Eventually, she picked out a gap that seemed to lead to the inside of the ruin, and clamored in with as much grace as she could manage on the uneven and irregular surface.

When she had gotten inside, she noticed a scattering of tree branches that had been blown into the ruin. Picking up one of them, Aria reached into a dress pocket for her small Firestarter to dispel some of the ancient shadows. After managing to successfully turn the branch into her torch, she began to delve deeper into the ruin.

When she stumbled across a stairwell leading downward, she let a single thought cross her mind. _The answers are in here Master, in your birthplace._

* * *

"So what's it like?" Mien gave her ponytail another hand brushing while she waited for Akame to answer her question. With only the two of them left in the base and a lack of contracts, they had quickly become bored of ceaseless training and resorted to talking. Though it mostly revolved around Akame and her relationship with Tatsumi.

"What's what like?" Akame inquired, uncertain of what aspect Mien was trying to discuss.

Mien felt herself redden slightly as she stuttered, "K-k-k-k-kissing Tatsumi…" The pinkette watched as Akame's cheeks turned as red as her eyes.

Akame floundered for a few seconds before giving her embarrassed answer. "It's warm. Not just his lips but everything inside me warms up and I feel lighter." Mien quickly turned away, trying to conceal a jealous grimace. Even though she had asked, it still hurt her. _Unrequited crushes were the worst_.

A loud slamming made the two turn in surprise, looking at a newly arrived Leone. The blonde quickly made eye contact with her two friends, a wild look in her eyes. "Tatsumi got grabbed by the Jaegers!"

The two seated assassins quickly jumped to their feet, questions on the tips of their tongues while they reached for their weapons. "What? How?"

"He was watching over the old safe house and apparently ran into Esdeath herself. And what's worse is that Tsu and Lubbock got sent away on a mission from the Emperor."

Akame let her free hand clench into a fist before asking her next question. "What about Kurome and Aria?"

"Kurome is still with the Jaegers, but Aria hasn't been seen in a while." Leone shook her head. "I don't know if they're onto us or what exactly, but we have no information besides hearsay and no one that we can get to confirm it."

Mien and Akame shared a look before the black-haired girl gave her decision. "Everyone is on alert. No one else leaves the Capital without us knowing about it."

* * *

Kurome was a professional. She had survived the Empire's Assassination Program, been cured of her addiction, and was currently working as a deep-cover agent of the Revolution alongside one of her friend's killers. All of that took nerves of steel. But even she became worried. Sure, she had spent some time with Tastu-nii and the rest of her group was friendly, despite having to act like she didn't know him at all. But when she couldn't find Lubbock and then found that Tsu had left the Captial for an unknown destination days ago, she became unsettled. Much worse in her opinion, she couldn't meet up with Leone at the café without suspicion arising and Aria was nowhere to be found. Even she had to admit she was getting lonely.

"Attention Jaegers!" Esdeath's commanding voice rang through their room, making the collected Teigu users look at their superior officer. "There's been sightings of a new bandit city being built in the ruins of an old garrison on the Gyogan Lake." She unfurled a marked map of the bandit-infested ruins for all of them to see. "And we are going to be the ones to eliminate them all."

A few appreciative murmurs passed through the other Jaegers while Kurome looked at Tatsumi. Despite his situation, she was surprised to see him look so composed and eager.

"And I guess I'm going with you?" Tatsumi asked Esdeath, his lighthearted question fitting his role as a willing member of the group. Esdeath nodded with a light smile, something that made Kurome angry. It was annoying enough that she couldn't talk to him like normal, but knowing that Esdeath was likely using him for whatever she wanted since she had claimed him as her lover was pushing the black-eyed girl to her limits.

Seeming to sense Kurome's apprehension, Tatsumi looked at her and smiled. "But could we make a stop before we leave. There's something I need to grab." His sheepish expression only made Kurome smile back.

* * *

Lubbock yawned and stretched from his position atop his tan horse. The stallion had been under him for the majority of the past few days, diligently putting up with him and the saddlebags that had been thoughtfully packed by palace staff before he had left. A quick glance in front of him let his eyes catch sight of Tsu in his spotless white robe atop a black mare. He could probably count the amount of words they had exchanged since leaving the Capital on both his hands. So it came as a surprise when a flat voice called out to him.

"As an information-gatherer, you often serve as the mission planner do you not?" The question seemed innocent, but Lubbock knew better than to believe that. As much of a help that Tsu could be at any given time, the assassin couldn't trust that.

"I do." Lubbock's short reply doubled his word count for the day.

"Then what do you do about unforeseen circumstances or types of interference?" Tsu hadn't turned around to face Lubbock, yet he could tell the advisor was irritated about something.

"Well, you just have to change it on the spot." Lubbock admitted, "But it's only fair if I get to ask questions back."

"Fair enough. I imagine you have many questions due to my own disinformation campaign."

"How many lovers have you had in your life? How many hearts have you broken?" Lubbock half-joked, watching as Tsu's shoulders tensed before quickly relaxing.

"I'm not answering that." Tsu's head turned and Lubbock found any chance to wittily respond crushed by the intense glare he received. "Especially with someone like you."

Swallowing to strengthen his resolve, Lubbock tried again. "Well then, anything you can tell me about the creation of the Teigu? Or even the Shingu for that matter. We only have vague ideas about how they were made."

Tsu paused, as if deciding what to reveal. "I can tell you that Teigu were made of something besides the Ultra-class Danger Beasts that is extinct in this world. And the Shingu are the result of that missing component."

"Well that's… useful." Lubbock started to wonder exactly why the advisor was talking to him before he noticed Tsu had stopped his horse. He also stopped his horse and looked where Tsu was looking across a large lake that they were passing.

"Make camp, I've got something I need to do." Tsu ordered Lubbock before slipping off his horse and sprinting to a cluster of nearby trees.

The remaining assassin sighed and dismounted his horse, muttering to himself as he began to set up camp. "If you were just trying to find a spot to go to the bathroom, say that instead of asking weird questions."

By the time he had set a campfire and their tents up, Lubbock couldn't see a trace of Tsu. Deciding to wait, Lubbock began to hum and mentally compiled the information he had on the Jaegers, Esdeath, the Imperial palace, and even his current traveling companion. When he had finished organizing his thoughts, he became aware of an unsettling feeling building on his skin. He looked up at the noonday sun, yet he could feel shivers crawling up his back. And despite the pleasant weather near the lake, Lubbock was unable to hear the sound of any birds, insects, or other animals that would call the area home.

By the time Lubbock began to realize why he was feeling so unnatural, it was too late. He heard a single inhuman scream before the world went mad. His chest tightened as the sun itself faded from a cloudless sky, the edges of his vision darkening. But even as he struggled to remain upright, Lubbock's knees gave out and the tilting horizon changed colors, greens and earthy browns becoming bloody reds and purples.

In the moments before his vision was completely swallowed, Lubbock swore he saw birds falling like rain.

* * *

Aria could no longer tell how long that she had been searching the ruins for anything. The labyrinthine network of hallways, stairs, and rooms had innumerable metal torches scattered throughout them that gave off blue flames when she lit them. The strangest part for her was the unusual lack of hunger pains or dry throat from dehydration. She hadn't touched her supplies since she had entered the underground world and yet not even her bread had gone stale yet. Even more disturbing was the tree branch that she was using as a torch had not diminished in the slightest. _It was like the world had been frozen in time._

Sighing as she turned down another unlit passage, Aria found herself stepping into a cavernous room that her torch failed to even partially illuminate. She couldn't catch sight of any of the walls as she stepped further into the room. She continued on until she caught sight of the far wall, stopping and studying it as she realized that the wall wasn't actually solid, but filled with miniature holes that reminded her of woven mesh. As she stepped closer, the torchlight glinted off of something to her right, which made her turn to investigate it.

Quickly moving to the glint, he found an open carved stone door with a metal locking mechanism that led beyond the mesh-like stone wall. Aria couldn't a shiver from running down her spine as she realized what she was looking at. _This is a cage, formed out of the earth itself._

She peeked into the cage, feeling Tsu's bedtime biography sweep over her. _"_ _And they locked him up, until the boy was not a boy, but a teen."_

"You grew up here, didn't you Master Tsu? So far from the sun and sky? No wonder you're so pale." Aria whispered to the nothingness as her eyes found a raised dais that looked large enough to serve as a bed. On top of the ancient stone were three colored, leather-bound books that appeared to be as wide as Aria's hand and thick enough to rival a brick. Seeing the curiosities, she quickly grabbed the books, marveling at their lightness before opening the one colored blue.

When she couldn't identify the writing inside as any known language she opened the green-colored one, only to find the unknown language again. Now frustrated, she opened the black book and was pleasantly surprised to find legible and understandable writing on its pages.

Returning to the front page of the last book after stowing the others in her pockets, Aria scanned the words on the page. After she finished the page, she quickly reread it. After a third time of inscribing the writing into her memory, Aria was trembling. By the fourth time, Aria's feet were already carrying her and the book towards the surface. Before she could even realize what was happening, she stood outside the aboveground ruin as it emitted smoke and gouts of fire. She guessed she had dropped her torch or a possible reaction to the lit torches, but she was running to the beach so she didn't bother to confirm either of her theories.

Before long, she was back on the chartered ship and standing at its side railing while the boat began its journey back to the mainland. The captain failed to mention the length of her absence or the blood staining her dress. Even as the boat rocked beneath her, Aria's mind kept focusing on the opening words of the book she had begun to read.

 _To whoever finds this, know that I am the First Emperor of my eternal Empire and that I have sinned greatly for my people. Recorded within this book are transgressions I committed as a younger man, against a boy whom fate entrusted me. May Tsu someday find it in his heart to forgive me, for I am too weak to atone for myself._

* * *

Akame and Mien waited on a cliff overlooking the road to the Capital. After Leone had reported that the Jaegers were soon leaving, the two had decided to stake out the gates and consider any possibility of a rescue mission to recover Tatsumi from their clutches.

When the two caught sight of the group leaving, they watched closely as Esdeath led her group of Teigu-users out of the Capital. The two assassins felt their hands clench at the sight of Tatsumi in the heart of the group, eagerly chatting with Esdeath while Kurome watched from the back of the group. Akame could only watch as a sincere smile crossed Tatsumi's face at Esdeath's reply.

 _How could he get along with that monster?_ Akame did her best to suppress her killing intent, but found it wasn't enough. Esdeath stopped and looked at their hiding spot, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to find them. Thankfully, Tatsumi spoke up to draw her attention before whistling the Night Raid birdsong.

Mien looked at Akame before they replied with their own variations of the birdsong. Above them, two large hawks took flight and Tatsumi pointed them out to Esdeath. She seemed to accept the idea that she was sensing the hawks with a nod before the group continued on. As they marched past Akame Mien's position, they noticed that Tatsumi had somehow managed to recover Incursio as it swung from his hip. They caught a flash of his green eyes as he passed by, a confidant smile on his face.

* * *

Lubbock's consciousness came back with a vengeful rocking. He opened his eyes to see the side of his horse and the ground slowly passing beneath. He gave a groan and tried to right himself, only to find that he'd been tied onto the saddle in a rather undignified lump.

"So you're awake." The flat voice of Tsu commented from somewhere beyond Lubbock's field of vision as his horse came to a stop. "I don't expect a thank you for saving your life considering I nearly ended it, but I do expect you to be understanding as to why I decided to keep us traveling."

Those comments were more than enough to fully wake up the injured assassin. "What? That scream, that whole trippy, near-death moment was because of you?" He felt hands starting to undo the ropes holding him, the bindings crawling across his body.

"Yes. As I'm sure you've noticed my lack of expression, it doesn't exactly mean that my emotions are that weak or unfathomable. When they build up to dangerous levels, particularly my killing intent, I need to excise them safely in abandoned areas. Unfortunately, that usually causes dangerous conditions. So apologies for not realizing that you were still in range." The ropes came undone and Lubbock felt himself start to slide down the side of his horse. He rolled with the pull of gravity and landed with some grace and stood up to look at Tsu.

"So where exactly are we headed? You didn't really give me much to go on other than 'beyond Gyogan Lake.'" Lubbock put his hands behind his head, thinking of a map of the Empire and any relevant landmarks he could remember.

Tsu's head tilted and used his chin to point further up the trail. "A village about an hour's walk from here is suspected of high treason against the Empire. The rumors of the nature of their treason, however," Tsu's eyes closed, "is something of a state secret. I've merely been sent to confirm or disapprove it."

Lubbock nodded along, the plan clearly forming in front of him. "And you can't check it personally because of your notable position, so you brought me." Lubbock felt a smile cross his face. "Clever use of available resources. Those questions were a test to get me ready."

"Sure." Tsu gestured in the direction of the village. "Now go."

Still smiling, Lubbock happily complied. It wasn't often that people recognized his merit and skills.

* * *

When the village came into view for Lubbock, he found himself stunned by the picturesque hamlet. A large number of thatch-roofed buildings were scattered around cobbled streets that were currently clogged with stalls and people celebrating some kind of festival.

He made his way to the edge of the festival, quickly becoming a part of the crowd and making his way towards a tavern. After getting a seat at its bar, he made eye contact with an older woman working behind it. Her brown hair was pulled back to reveal her blue eyes, which were highlighted by the lack of color in the gray work clothes she wore. Taking a second to grab a cupful of beer, she made her way over to him and offered the drink.

"A stranger in our town is rare. What brings you here?" She asked, eyeing his gray coat and the rifle on his back.

"I'm a hunter. You know, wander the wilds between villages, kill Danger Beasts and other animals to trade for money. That sort of thing." Lubbock lied. He casually motioned to the ongoing festivities outside. "But since I've never been here before, mind telling me what's going on?"

The woman eyed him carefully before nodding to herself. "We're celebrating a wedding during the time of our god's blessed messenger."

"Huh?" Lubbock looked at the woman in total confusion, unable to make sense of the answer she had given him. "Can you say that in a way I could understand?"

She sighed before replying, "Our god's messenger and prophet, The Loving Father, is this village's sacred guardian of marriages so we're celebrating him so he blesses a wedding we're having later."

"Oh. Interesting. You don't follow the Imperial church?" Lubbock asked, carefully gauging the woman's response. He watched her shoulders tense and her hands clench before relaxing.

"No, our beliefs are older than the church of the Empire or that new religion." Lubbock felt his curiosity peek at the mention of another belief system besides the Imperial church that was popular. "Besides, our god is real and his messenger yet walks this world."

That statement made Lubbock's eyebrows shoot up. "Really? What does this Loving Father look like?"

She pointed to a statue in the center of a nearby square. "There he is, in his gentlest form." The statue was nearly fifty feet tall and finely detailed. Lubbock had no problem picking out the folds in the man's robe, the laugh lines on his smiling face, the diamonds that made the statue's eyes glow white with captured sunlight. It didn't take long for Lubbock to identify the Loving Father. _It's Tsu. An older Tsu_. The assassin let his eyebrows furrow as he thought. _But that guy claims that he doesn't age as part of his immortality. He's full of more lies than a book of fiction._

"Does the name Tsu mean anything to you?" He questioned the bartender, watching as she stiffened. She nodded, keeping her eyes from avoiding his.

"That name is very powerful. If you know it, you must also be one of his Children." She stated, bending in a slight bow. However, she straightened as a church bell began to ring across the village. "Come with me. The wedding is starting."

Lubbock decided it would give him more information and followed the woman out of the tavern and into a large stone cathedral full of stained glass windows. Inside the large church, they took a seat in the back left of the pews. Lubbock scanned the seated villagers, identifying dozens of families and specialized craftsmen that would be needed to keep the village functioning. A shift in the lighting drew his eyes to the stained glass windows encircling the sanctuary. He noted how each one was designed to tell a story of some kind, an old practice from the days when everyone wasn't literate.

He identified the first story in the series. A green-haired man in armor with a glowing halo that indicated his divinity stood over a map of the continent, a miniature army kneeling before him. Lubbock felt something dreadful building in his stomach as he turned to the next window's story. The divine man was sailing to an island where a number of people in white circled around a black figure and a giant white beast twisted in the shape of the crescent moon. Lubbock could barely keep the gasp from passing his lips when it finally struck him.

This village worshipped the First Emperor as a god and his living messenger, Tsu, was heralded as their prophet. He felt a sense of utter wrongness wash over him as he turned to the next window. There the figure in black knelt before the divine man sitting on a throne as he was given a white robe and the corpse of the white beast from the island.

As Lubbock started to puzzle out the missing context of the window, he heard organ music begin as everyone in the pews rose to their feet. Lubbock turned to see a young man dressed in a pure white tuxedo, who he surmised was the groom, walking down the center aisle followed by a priest in green robes with a similarly colored veil obscuring his whole head. The two reached the front and turned around, the groom standing slightly off to the side as the organ music changed to the familiar bridal march. Lubbock felt his heart race at the black-haired bride's dress. Blue silk and lace exposed a sinfully tasteful amount of her cleavage. A slit that ran up the left side of the dress to her mid-thigh gave flashes of blue stockings and garters, further exciting him as he felt his fantasies shift the woman for Najenda. It was as his fantasy turned to his own dream wedding that he realized what was wrong.

"Hey," he nudged the tavern woman's shoulder as they sat in response to the priest's signal. "Not trying to sound ignorant, but aren't brides supposed to wear white?"

She gave him a confused look, before nodding her head. "So that's how everyone else does it? We've always done so in honor of the Loving Father's wife Lailah. Now quiet."

While Lubbock tried to process the information bomb that had been dropped on him, the priest began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to celebrate the most holy of vows we mortals can exchange. Here in the presence of our god, the Emperor who conquered this land as his Empire, we will witness this union of man and woman. As the Loving Father once took a mortal woman to bring forth his Children, so too will we give this couple's words as an offering to the Heaven's gatekeeper Lailah so that her husband may bless this marriage." With his part said, the priest motioned to the bride and groom to begin their own vows, but Lubbock was too shocked to hear what was said. He let his body copy whatever motions the other attendees made before he snuck away in the congratulations after the ceremony ended.

By the time he made it back to the advisor, Lubbock had decided what to reveal to Tsu. When he found Tsu standing next to their horses, Lubbock waited.

"So you're back? Traitors or not?" Tsu's business-like question didn't surprise the assassin. That was what they had come so far for.

"Depends. Does worshipping the First Emperor as a deity count?" Lubbock noted the flinch that Tsu gave at his response.

"Were they worshipping me as well? My stories are already famous as is." Tsu wondered aloud, his words somehow devoid of the pompous ego expected with his reply.

"They were. But one thing I want to know is who Lailah is." Lubbock was expecting another flinch, only to watch as Tsu began to soundlessly cry. He felt the punch a mere moment later, his chest registering the strike as fire across his ribcage. He landed on his back, the wind gone from his lungs as he looked up into Tsu's hollow expression.

"As a traitor to the Empire, I am allowed to dispatch you in any way I prefer. In light of our former camaraderie, I grant you exile. Should we meet again, you will die." Tsu's flat tone was replaced by a venom that threatened to stop Lubbock's heart in his chest. He didn't even have the strength to make a move as the advisor ripped the goggles from his head and mounted his horse. He barely managed to sit up as Tsu tied Lubbock's steed to his own and began to head down the trail that they had arrived on.

When Tsu was out of Lubbock's sight, he finally got to his feet and stood still, realizing that he may have done something horrible.

 _I need to find the Revolutionary Army before that bastard comes back._ Lubbock quickly reached under his coat and withdrew Cross Tail, strapping the gauntlets on with no hesitation. After confirming his directions, Lubbock sprinted into the nearby woods, heading south as fast as he could to hopefully reach the Revolution's headquarters. But the dread settling over him was already taunting his efforts.

* * *

Tatsumi stood atop a ledge, looking down over the garrison ruins at Gyogan Lake. Bodies were strewn everywhere, the smell of death already reaching his position. He turned to look at the Jaegers and Esdeath, the group that was supposed to be arriving today to exterminate the bandits that were currently dead in front of them.

The General seemed the least affected by the apparent slaughter, letting out nothing more than a disappointed sigh while the Jaegers had more mixed reactions ranging from Dr. Stylish's interest to Wave's look of revulsion.

"What could have done this? A Danger Beast?" Run wondered aloud, curious as to how many seemed to die in such a scattered pattern.

"Who cares? Justice was served!" Seryu cheered, Koro bouncing in her arms in agreement.

Kurome and Bols moved closer to the bodies, noticing a lack of wounds on all the visible bodies. "It couldn't be a Danger Beast." She pointed out with Bols nodding alongside her. "No animal tracks or signs of violence."

"Disease maybe? Quite a stylish one if it is." Doctor Stylish said, a hand stroking his goatee.

The sound of horses running towards them made the Jaegers turn and reach for their weapons, looking through the trees for a glimpse of the rider.

When Tsu revealed himself atop a black mare with a tan horse in tow, they all remembered the gate guard's description of the advisor's leaving party. He slowed his horse and had it trot towards them, coming to a full stop a few feet in front of them.

"What do you want?" Esdeath couldn't keep the loathing out of her voice as she questioned Will of the Empire.

Tsu reached into a pocket of his robe and pulled out a scroll and unfurled it. "By order of the Emperor, if the Will of the Empire finds the suspected village to be traitorous and in rebellion, he may seek to use an appropriate amount of force to eliminate the threat." He closed the imperial order and tossed it to Esdeath. "I've come to lead the Jaegers in an elimination of a village of traitors. Please follow and do not ask any more questions, General."

Kurome stepped up towards the advisor, drawing their attention to her. "And where is he? My Tracker?"

Tsu's inscrutable face didn't change as he pulled out Lubbock's goggles and extended them to the youngest group member. "His sacrifice was unfortunate, but necessary." Kurome wordlessly accepted the goggles and his words, forcing Tatsumi to clench his hands in order to not scream out at Tsu for failing to protect his friend.

Tsu turned his horses around, motioning for Esdeath to ride the unmounted horse. While she moved into position, Tsu's blank gaze swept across the remaining fighters. "We have some distance to go. Follow."

Without a word of complaint the Jaegers and Tatsumi began to follow, uncertain of the situation anymore.

 _Just who the hell do you think you are?_ Tatsumi thought as the destroyed garrison left his sight.

* * *

 **This is sort of a short chapter to set up for our next big one.**

 **But now that the Jaegers march on an unsuspecting village, Kurome and Tatsumi believe that Lubbock is dead, Aria has found a piece of lost history, and Akame is super jealous of a certain General.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and leave a review!**


	9. Kill the Sympathy

**Warning: This chapter will be a little more OC-centric than normal. Apologies.**

* * *

As the Jaegers followed behind Tsu, he couldn't help but become lost in the tangle of thoughts and emotions currently pressing against his mind. A very aggravating feeling considering he had just released 500 years' worth of pent-up emotions and stress a few days before.

 _I can't believe it. I've stamped out countless cults worshipping my Emperor, but this one managed to ignite my rage. How dare they act like that, using our history for their own purposes! Especially her. They have no right, none at all to use her name._

Even as Tsu realized that his train of thought was taking him into dangerous territory, it was too late to stop the memory from crossing his mind.

* * *

 _Imperial Palace, Reign of the First Emperor, Year 32….._

In the twenty years that Tsu had served his green-haired rescuer, he had never been asked to give his advice on a war council. Leading soldiers in hunts for Danger Beasts to be made into Teigu was the closest he had ever been to a real battlefield, but those had ended recently thanks to the completion of the 48 Imperial Armaments collection.

So when the Emperor had only Tsu by his side for a meeting with an opposing faction, he was not prepared. When escorted in, the first thing he noticed about the three messengers was their blue hair and warrior auras despite the spread of their sizes. The second thing he noticed was fact that two of them were female, a rarity even in the Empire. The final thing he noticed was their lack of awe at meeting the Emperor personally.

"What trickery is this, Emperor?" The only man declared, stepping forward with a flourish of his long hair and a fierce look in his grey eyes. "After you complied with our wish for an audience, we expected you to honor the other request." The middle-aged man was clearly trying to assume dominance in the room.

Tsu felt his indignation rise at the implied accusation before a swift hand from the Emperor silenced his retort. The leader of his nation raised an eyebrow before replying. "I have not tricked you in the slightest. You wished to meet myself and the commander in charge of the soldiers who made initial contact with your people. We are both here."

The taller of the two females stepped forward, grey eyes flashing with anger. "You mock us. A boy as young as him was likely not even born when this conflict began with your invasion of our lands." She pointed directly at Tsu. "I doubt that this child could be the Phantom Wall that started this war."

Tsu looked at his Emperor, who nodded, before looking the woman in the eyes. "How old are you?"

She stepped back, offended that he would ask such a thing at a time like this. "How dare…."

"Because you are most certainly younger than I, despite my youthful appearance." Tsu cut her off. "Besides the fact that we were not the aggressors. We were simply hunting the Seraphim angel-type Ultra Danger Beast when your people became so offended by our presence and weaponry that they assaulted my forces and we merely defended ourselves. There was no declaration of borders or trespassing, only blood and steel." Tsu watched the messengers as they digested his words.

"26." The woman decided to answer, staring defiantly into the advisor's eyes. "Not that it matters to me as our clan's chief."

The Emperor smiled in amusement, seemingly pleased by the confession. "And here I was expecting your father there to pretend that he was the one in charge of your people."

Her glare met the Emperor's smile, neither side giving an indication that they were going to back down. "We are honest and forthright both on and off the battlefield." Her glare moved to Tsu. "Unlike some people."

Tsu snorted at the implied insult, the unflattering noise making the third messenger giggle. Tsu directed his attention to her, covering his surprise at the realization of her size and implied age. "And yet you bring a child to negotiations?" He questioned the others, his eyes not leaving the warm gray gaze of the girl in front of him.

Her father was the one to answer his question. "As my daughter and sister to the clan chief, Lailah has every right to be at these negotiations."

The remark made a glimmer appear in the Emperor's eyes, one that Tsu recognized as the warning sign of an idea that would see fruition no matter what he did.

The green-haired leader rubbed his hands together in delight before speaking, "Perhaps a certain agreement can be achieved…"

* * *

 _Present Day…_

A sudden neigh from his horse dragged Tsu back to reality, the village already in sight. One look at the trail revealed the small ravine Tsu's horse was accidently walking in, making it neigh in worry before he righted the indiscretion. He spared a quick glance to the Jaegers who following behind him like loyal dogs before setting his mask in place.

This village had awoken his rage and the only thing that could satisfy it was destruction.

* * *

Tatsumi looked around the village as they paraded towards it heart, trying to find some sign of Lubbock or any possible explanation for Tsu's erratic behavior. But all he could see was a charming village, one that was prospering and cheerful even under the Empire's weight. Unlike the one that he called home.

 _Just what was the Emperor and Tsu thinking calling them dangerous traitors?_ Tatsumi watched as a few villagers caught sight of them before scurrying off, their voices proclaiming the arrival of so many strangers. When the group had reached the town's central plaza, Tsu dismounted and walked towards a large statue sitting in the precise center of the area. The rest of their group followed suit, watching the advisor with curiosity. As Tsu turned and leaned against the masterwork, Tatsumi found his eyes drawn to the face of the statue. As the background noise of what sounded like the entire village arriving reached Tatsumi's ears, so did the realization that the statue was of an older version of Tsu.

He turned around and was surprised to see the men, women, children, and elders all kneeling in a circle around himself, Tsu, and the Jaegers. He and the Jaegers all took up defensive stances, ready to be ambushed as Tsu pushed himself upright. He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. Once he confirmed that everyone was looking at him, he touched the statue of himself with a single finger. And in the space between breaths, Tatsumi watched it become nothing more than a fine powder with two large uncut diamonds sitting atop the piles.

"Loving Father sir," One of the middle-aged men spoke up, drawing their attention after Tsu's show of power. "We are surprised by your visit to our humble-" The words drowned in a fountain of blood from his mouth as Tsu's gaze found the man. The people closest to him shrieked at the sight before attempting to save his life.

The rest of the crowd and even the Jaegers found themselves transfixed on the advisor as he stepped forward, an undeniably malicious aura coming from him. He swept his gaze across the assembled crowds before settling on Tatsumi and Esdeath. Tatsumi couldn't stop himself from quivering in fear as he felt the weight of Tsu's gaze pass over him.

"This village has been found guilty of seditious and treasonous acts against the Empire and its agents. By the Emperor's authority, as granted to me, I order Esdeath and her special unit, the Jaegers, to eliminate this village." The flatness of Tsu's tone only made Tatsumi's fear ramp up, heightened by the execution order.

Esdeath gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, clearly reviling the order that she had been given even as the Jaegers withdrew their weapons. Tatsumi could feel his own revulsion kicking in, urging him to argue as a young brown-haired woman clad in gray work-clothes burst out of the crowd before falling at Tsu's feet.

"I beg that you have mercy, my lord. We beseech your nature as the son of the Mother Angel. Spare us your wrath." She pleaded, her face touching the ground in a desperate show of submission. Tatsumi looked to Tsu, hopeful that the woman's passion would stir the kindness that lurked behind Tsu's usual mask of indifference.

Tsu took a large breath through his nose before inelegantly sniffing the air, reminding Tatsumi of several times he had seen predators lose track of their prey. A shiver crawled down his back as Tsu's gaze shifted from the woman to Kurome.

"She's quite fearless, this one. To grovel at my feet despite still reeking of that Tracker." Tsu's words were clear in their intent, starting Kurome into motion before anyone could stop her. The woman didn't have the time to even look up before Yatsufusa was stabbed through her exposed back, the blow dropping her limp body at Tsu's feet in a rapidly growing pool of blood. Even though the brutal death of an unarmed civilian should have made Tatsumi sick, he felt a twist of just retribution. Tsu was a bastard, but even he would let them avenge Lubbock's death. The shocked crowd sat in fearful silence, some of the men looking ready to draw hidden weapons and fight.

"Begging won't save you." Tsu proclaimed, "If you know that my mother was Angel, surely you know of my father, Dragon? I'm not human and am not moved by your weak appeals for human mercy." His eyes met Esdeath's. "General, this village is to have no survivors. Not even the stones of their streets are to be spared. Rubicante will ensure this."

Tatsumi was shouting before he even considered the dangers of speaking. "Old man, what the hell? Aren't you supposed to protect the innocent?"

Tsu's gaze found Tatsumi, sending bolts of pure fear through his being with the seething hatred that lurked behind his softly-glowing white eyes. "Esdeath, make sure your… pet doesn't continue to misbehave. If it does, I will be forced to treat it as an interference. And I suggest you don't _act out_ either, General." The words pulled any strength Tatsumi felt and crushed it faster than Esdeath's own spontaneous ice summoning. _He might really kill us!_

The blue-haired general turned to Tatsumi, slapping him before dragging him by his collar close enough to whisper to him. "If you want to live, stay quiet. We can talk about this demon's actions when it's safe. For the moment, focus on merely surviving the next few seconds." Tatsumi nodded while she turned to reply to the advisor. "He understands and apologizes. I will see him disciplined myself."

"See that you do." With his orders confirmed, Tsu deftly hopped onto his horse and began steering it towards the only road out of the village. "I will be waiting further back down the trail. Burning flesh is a scent that is notoriously hard to remove from silk." With that said, he left.

Tatsumi watched as Esdeath mulled over her orders and her personnel before issuing her orders. "Dr. Stylish, Run, and Seryu. You eliminate the populace. Wave and Kurome, remove any armed hostiles or resistant elements. Bols, perform your duties."

With total obedience, they leapt into action while the villagers beginning to scream and finally flee as blood and fire began to rain down.

Even as Tatsumi struggled to process the slaughter happening in front of him, a single thought crystallized. _She is right, he really is an evil demon. He isn't even human._

* * *

Aria found the gates of the Imperial Capital a comforting sight after the long journey across the sea and the countryside to return. After paying the captain for his aid and buying a new blue dress in the same style as her formerly white bloodstained one, she had spent the entire trip back reading the black book and its horrible secrets. She shook a little as she began the long walk from the gate to the Imperial Palace, still trying to figure out how to tell Tsu what she had learned. Before she made it too far, a certain other blonde called out to her.

"Aria! Where have you been?" Leone shouted, running over to the former noble and quickly dragging her to a nearby bar to talk. Once they were seated, Leone pelted her with questions. What was she doing? Did Tsu know she was back? Was she part of the reason he had left the capital? Did she know where Lubbock was? Or the Jaegers?

Aria shook her head to indicate her lack of knowledge. "I'm sorry, I went on a trip to see what I could dig up on Tsu's past with the Empire. The Imperial Records department is so filled with his fake history I couldn't begin to understand him."

Leone blinked at the explanation before smirking. "So what, you falling in love with that guy? Looking to find out about his exes?"

"No." Aria's polite denial was met with a light chuckle. "I just wish to understand why someone so kind must act like he must in front of others. Especially when he is working with both sides for a better future." Aria looked out of the bar and took in the sight of the crowds moving through the area. "But how are the slums? I know Tsu was purging the police forces of corrupt elements, but has it been helping?"

Leone gave a sincere smile at the question. "It's been good, a little too good in fact. The police have started to really get it together. Crime is down, employment is up, coin and goods are flowing thanks to new policies put in place by Tsu." She leaned back in her seat to stare at the ceiling. "He's definitely mysterious and we don't really know where his loyalties truly lie, but he seems to enjoy charity cases."

Aria cast her eyes down, thinking of the black book currently in her pocket. _I do have the answers to some of our questions, but it only makes it harder to answer others._

Aria looked at Leone and made a decision. "Hey Leone," she got the older girl's attention. "Here." She put the green book she had found on the table. "I found this book in a ruin associated with Tsu, but it's written in some strange language. Could you have Lubbock or someone else have a look at it?"

Leone looked at the small, thick book and casually flipped through the pages. "Damn, it barely looks like writing. I'll pass it on to Revolutionary Intelligence." She pocketed the gift. "But since you're all alone and we have the opportunity, can you check something out?"

"Okay?" Aria wasn't sure what she was agreeing to, but she wanted to help as much as she could even if she couldn't join them on missions now that she was their only source between the inside of the palace and the rest of Night Raid.

"There's a hidden section to the Imperial Records, according to Lubbock. It requires Emperor-level access, something only given to personal advisors and the Emperors themselves."

"And because Tsu is an advisor, you want me to use his authority." Aria nodded as her own plans became clear. "I'm on it."

 _And now I have a chance to prove this book isn't some fake and possibly help Master Tsu regain his humanity._

* * *

To be met with crowds after a successful mission wasn't unusual as far as Tsu was concerned. Which is why it wasn't a surprise for him when he, the Jaegers, and Tatsumi returned to the Capital days later. What surprised him was groups that made up the cheering masses. The poor from the slums. Merchants that had once failed to do business under crippling organized crime. Ordinary citizens, not the aristocracy that normally rejoiced to know that the status quo was upheld by its enforcers.

As he led the group down the major streets, he caught sight of Tatsumi's traumatized scowl and Kurome's depressed toying with Lubbock's goggles hanging from her neck. _Was I too harsh?_ He considered before stopping his own doubts. _Nope, they needed these lessons._ _The world is too empty to hide behind naïve hopes and dreams. Even if they are why we fight._

At the gate to the Imperial Palace, several footmen waited until the entire group stood before them before addressing them all.

"In light of the overwhelming victory of the Jaegers over the bandits located at Gyogan Lake, our illustrious Emperor has declared a royal celebration in order to celebrate both the accomplishment and the establishment of the elite unit on this night. All members of the Jaegers and the Imperial Court are expected to attend." The lead footman declared, reading the announcement off of a scroll. He looked up at each of them before sniffing in mild disdain at their current outfits. "You will all be escorted to private dressing and fittings for tonight as formal attire is required."

For a moment, Tsu considered punching the footman for the impunity but quickly decided that didn't fit his image in the Capital. "Of course." He flatly replied before gesturing the footmen to attend to each member of the security force behind him. "Has my attendant returned?" He questioned a nearby guard, and smiled internally at the curt nod he received. Turning and bowing with a practiced flourish, he left the group behind. He had to get ready for his own battlefield.

* * *

Kurome was still too numb from Lubbock's death to put up a fight about being forced to wear her current dress. The knee-length, strapless black dress made her pale skin appear ethereal alongside her own black hair tied up in an elegant bun. Her socks and small shoes had been replaced by black stockings and flats, a sensible choice since she hated heels and their impracticality. But even with the forced formal clothing, she kept her snack pouch on her belt and Lubbock's goggles around her neck. Any attempts to remove them had been met with harsh glares and threatening motions of her sword.

Even as she walked towards the ball, she found herself questioning everything about her mission. _Is it really worth it for me to stay here? Aria and everyone convinced me it would help, but all it's done is get that green-haired pervert killed. How stupid do you have to be to get killed by someone as pathetic as that woman?_

"Kurome, are you okay?" Wave's voice snapped her out of her dark thoughts. She noticed how he was wearing a white naval dress uniform, much like how Seryu wore her Imperial Police uniform and Esdeath wore her normal fatigues. Something about it made him seem less awkward, like he was pretending whenever he wasn't wearing it.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She stopped staring at him long enough to answer.

"You looked like you were about to cry." He stepped closer, his voice full of concern. "Is something worrying you?"

"No. I just zoned out a little and forgot to blink so my eyes started watering." The lie came easy to her after years of lying to everyone that wasn't her sister about her feelings. He seemed to buy it, but she noticed he kept shooting glances at her. While she didn't mind it, it was unnecessary for him to worry about nothing that he could understand.

When Run arrived in a more expensive version of his robe, Dr. Stylish in his lab coat over a collared shirt with khakis, and Bols arrived in a full tux and his mask, all of the Jaegers went into the ball ahead of Esdeath. She looked past them, clearly waiting for Tatsumi.

Kurome did her best to avoid people and stuck near Wave as his presence deterred any male nobles from getting ideas. The boy was clueless about high society but very useful at keeping the flies at bay.

A trumpet sounded and the crowd turned to look at the page who had blown the offending instrument. "Announcing the arrival of General Esdeath and her escort, Tatsumi the spice merchant." Kurome watched as Esdeath and Tatsumi in a suit walked in with smiles and held hands, appearing like a happy couple. The assassin didn't even notice that she snapped the neck of her drink until Wave swiped the broken glass from her hand.

He smiled as he handed his glass of non-alcoholic champagne. "Must've been given one of the weaker glasses." He explained before going off to fetch himself a drink. _A definite idiot, but not a hint of bad in him._ She thought as she sipped from the replacement glass.

The trumpet sounded again, this time with the page declaring, "Arriving are his Majesty, the Emperor and his advisors. Announcing Will of the Empire, Minister of Spiritual Affairs and Law Enforcement. His daughter, Lady Schere, and his escort, Aria of House Amholt." Tsu appeared like a cloud wearing an all-white suit and tie, flanked by the little Schere in a frilly purple dress that matched her hair and Aria wearing a radiant blue version of the very dress Kurome was wearing, her hair loose and dangling to her mid-back. Unlike Kurome, she wore no stockings and had 3" heels on her feet. Her Shingu, Emparthos, hung from her neck as a necklace instead of the collar it had been made for an excellent accessory.

"Prime Minister Honest." The page continued, allowing the corrupt official to step in with an armful of well-dressed women surrounding him. _If that pervert was here, he would be complaining about how unfair it was that he didn't have a harem of women in his arms._

"And finally, His Excellency, the Emperor." The man finished as the child-leader strode into the ball to a thundering chorus of clapping. Kurome rolled her eyes as Wave returned to her side, watching as Tatsumi, Esdeath, and Tsu conversed with fake smiles while Aria kept Schere planted in a seat far from the dance floor and the aristocratic posturing. Something that Kurome figured would only be made worse by the reveal of Aria's identity, a well-guarded secret by the undercover members of Night Raid. Until tonight apparently.

After listening to nobles discuss their various "hobbies" for far too long, Kurome noticed a small group of relatively adult-looking males make their way towards Aria. Sensing something was about to happen, she signaled to Wave that they should move close just in case.

"Hello Miss Amholt." One of the men said, smiling. He was relatively handsome, his black hair parted and styled in the current fashions, which left his hazel-brown eyes clear to stare at Aria. "I and my friends are quite shocked to be meeting you. After you went missing all those months ago, we all feared the worst when Night Raid was suspected. But it seems we must owe the advisor our thanks for returning such a rare flower to us." His hand reached out to run his fingers through her hair, an action that she denied with a casual flip of the loose tresses.

"I will pass your thanks onto my Master, as he is often too busy to entertain guests of any type." She replied curtly, managing to keep her tone civil. Better than what Kurome would have done in her position.

"So he's your Master?" Another man questioned with eyebrows raised. "Don't tell me that the Amholt heir has been struck as low as to be employed by a mere court official." He quickly cast his eyes over to where Tsu stood, bragging about Tatsumi and his future with Esdeath. "Unless you are perhaps little more than a noble-born slave he bought."

Aria's eyes flew wide open, her tone disdainful. "You dare?"

"We've all heard the rumors." The first man explained, his voice becoming more agressive. "'The advisor sees a blonde courtesan for companionship, daring to even bring his affairs into the public areas near the palace.' Sound familiar?" The man smiled without a hint of good. "Tell me, how much did he pay? I'll double it for you to marry me right now and grant me control over the Amholt estate. It would be a more fitting place for you than serving some common beast like him or his bastard child."

Kurome grabbed Wave to stop him from attacking the man for speaking in such a way to Aria. _Another white knight in shining armor. Just like Tatsu-nii_. But they were both surprised when Aria stomped the man's foot before pinning him to the table using a single hand. He struggled fruitlessly against the pin, a clear show of strength from Aria.

"I call him Master by choice. He saved me and cares enough to ensure I am already well taken care of. Continue to insult him or Schere and you may suffer for your words. Especially about bastard children and human trafficking practices." Her threat delivered, she let the flailing man recover and sat back down, reaching to hold Schere protectively as the men stepped closer.

"Ungrateful bitch!" The other man hissed, his arm coiling back to slap Aria. Before Kurome could let Wave go to punish the man, a white-garbed figure appeared and lazily caught the descending arm.

The four at the table and the two Jaegers stared in amazement at Tsu's dramatic appearance and his less than friendly smile.

His white eyes locked on to the captured man's, a very clear threat in them. "Raise your hand to strike at what is mine again and I will remove your title, wealth, influence, and limbs from you. Not necessarily in that order either." He let the man go with a light shove before stepping behind Aria and Schere to reinforce the two. "Let me say this plainly. Aria and Schere are mine." A savage glint edged into his smile and voice. "Try to hurt them and you'll suffer for it."

The first man flinched before feeling courageous enough to throw out a single taunt. "Common trash. You believe that because you once held an Emperor's ear you are still relevant?"

Kurome and Wave shivered as Tsu's eyes narrowed, flashbacks of the village and its brutal annihilation coming to them. They both looked around, surprised that no one else had noticed the commotion. Or they were pretending to not notice for their own safety.

"Common trash, eh? Three decades and the younger generation forgets its place." Tsu gave a dark chuckle. "Well, considering the Good Sense party just put all of their influence and connections under my control, I would guess that would make me the champion of the mass of 'common trash' that live throughout your domains, wouldn't it? Especially with my position as head of the judicial system and its subsidiaries."

The two nobles paled and started to edge away, clearly understanding they picked the wrong fight politically too. Aria had a mischievous look as she called out some parting words to them. "Don't worry, your mistresses will be more than happy to keep us informed now." The fleeing men cut a path through the crowds that was quickly closed up. At some unspoken command, Aria stood up and took Schere's hand. The noble girl led the child out of the ball as Tsu hovered behind them, his aura preventing any questions or stares from finding their departing forms. All except for Tatsumi's. Before Kurome could say anything, her foolish older brother left Esdeath's side to pursue them.

She started to follow, knowing the impending confrontation would likely hurt Tatsu-nii and there was no chance of Onee-chan being there to rescue him. But when Wave didn't follow, she turned to give him a questioning look.

Wave immediately looked guilty, but stood his ground. "No way. I'm perfectly fine staying on the advisor's good side. But if you want to try saving Tatsumi from him, you might be better cutting him off entirely." She nodded at the advice, before sprinting in the direction of the doors.

If no one else could save Tatsumi from himself, she would do it.

* * *

Tsu pretended to not notice a certain idiot's approach as he finished escorting Aria and Schere back to his suite of rooms. Once inside, he quickly kissed Schere's forehead and sent her off to bed with Aria to ensure she did so properly. A few seconds later, his front door slammed open, a very angry Tatsumi stomping towards him.

"You and I need to talk." He visibly seethed at Tsu, his opinion of recent events clear.

"About what?" Tsu decided to play innocent, his own plan of verbal attack forming.

"That village." Tatsumi paused for emphasis. "You ordered them to kill all those innocent people and yet you wouldn't even look at your own handiwork."

Tsu looked at Tatsumi with disinterest. "That's the real world. People die unfairly whether you want them to or not. And I've said this before, but our interests are only aligned about Honest, it doesn't make us allies or even partners. Even if you're my son."

"Says a freaking Danger Beast!" Tatsumi cried was met with a sharp gasp from behind the pair. They both noticed Aria had returned, but refocused on their own heated argument. "A freaking dragon-angel hybrid thing in human skin!"

Tsu shrugged his shoulders, the words not news to him. "I was told that the moment I met Luna, and I've denied it enough times in my life to earn some scorn," Tsu pointed right at Tatsumi, "But you have nothing to say, considering you owe your life to me."

"I'd rather be indebted to the Prime Minister! At least he's not as much of a coward as you are!" Tatsumi shouted, his anger reaching for the most cutting words he could hurl.

 _Playing dirty? Sorry, but this is going to hurt you a lot more than me._ "Better a living coward than a cast-off weakling." Tatsumi doubled over as the words punched his gut. "Maybe that's why your parents sold you off? Because they knew you would turn out this weak."

Tatsumi struggled to stand as the words tore into his very soul. "You don't…" He started reply before another verbal lashing started.

"Tell me which hurts worse: That your well-to-do parents sold you to slavers or that you had so many other siblings they could have chosen?" The words brought Tatsumi to his knees. "And then when you knew the Imperial soldiers were closing in on the four of us, you fled down that rocky ravine that prevented the girls from following quickly enough. Unscrupulous weakling." Tatsumi couldn't meet Tsu's eyes anymore, pitching forward to hold himself up with his hands. "And even worse, you lie about that 'precious love' of yours. You've got nearly everyone else convinced, Akame included. Maybe even the Queen Ice Bitch believes you, but I know you don't trust her enough to truly love her. You can't trust anyone. Lying about something like love? Pathetic weakling."

Tsu took a break from his lecture to step forward and rest a foot on Tatsumi's back. "If you ever want to shed that weakness, you'll need to become like a dragon of ages past. Give in to your desires and let your old self die." Tsu used his leverage to force Tatsumi to the floor. "Now get out of my sight before I reconsider your debt." He lifted his foot off and Tatsumi scrambled out the door, tears already running down his face.

Tsu looked at Aria, and quickly realized something from her shocked expression.

He had gone too far.

* * *

Aria slapped Tsu, both of them knowing he deserved it. "If you don't want people to think of you like some beast, don't act like one." She chastised him, considering chasing after Tatsumi to make sure he would be all right.

Tsu avoided her eyes and looked sincerely sad for a moment before settling into his mask of unreadable indifference. "Considering what he said was true, I'm not too sure about that myself." _He's retreating into himself to hide from everything. Again._

Aria rushed to the door, but paused for a moment at the threshold. "Whether you really are part-angel and part-dragon doesn't make you any less human." With her final thoughts said, she chased after Tatsumi, finding him down a branching hallway, kneeling while weeping into a hug from Kurome. The two turned at her approach, signaled by the click of her heels.

"Do you know how this happened?" Kurome harshly questioned, "What did that old bastard do to Tatsu-nii?" She stroked his head as the poor boy recomposed himself.

Instead of answering Kurome's question, Aria replied with one of her own. "Why do you have Lubbock's goggles?"

The two semi-siblings shifted awkwardly, rapidly avoiding her eyes. "You haven't heard?" When Aria shook her head, Tatsumi took the responsibility of answering her. "He died on our mission. In a little village that Tsu ordered snuffed out at the Emeperor's command."

Aria felt her knees growing weak, but she remained upright through sheer willpower. "So then he's…? I'll let Leone know at our next meeting." She managed to sound professional, but an unbidden tear still managed to escape.

 _Did you weep? Were you hurt to lose a friend? Or have you become too numb to remember pain?_

* * *

For the first time in days, Lubbock was relieved. He had stumbled blindly through the southern lands of the Empire, stealing food and fresh horses on his way back to the Revolutionary Army Headquarters. But he had finally reached it. After collapsing at the edge of the camp and being taken to the infirmary to recover, he managed to ask an attendant if Najenda could be found. While he waited for the only woman he would ever love in his life, the fatigue of his journey caught up and put him to sleep.

"Of all the things I could have expected today, you were not amongst them." Green eyes opened to a bountiful and familiar chest before a more familiar fist landed between them. He bolted upright from the strike, ready to look her in the eye.

"Tsu is going to destroy a village over some inane misunderstanding about his wife!" He proclaimed, watching the confusion cross Najenda's face as the words registered.

She took a second to light a fresh cigarette before replying. "Our spies reported that the Jaegers successfully suppressed the Gyogan Lake bandits before razing a rebellious village. Are you telling me otherwise?" She looked at her information gatherer, making sure he understood as she took a drag.

"Partially. Tsu had me scout a village, then when I asked a few questions he threatened to kill me. After he nearly broke my ribs, I managed to escape." He pulled himself up straighter. "We can't treat him as anything other than a threat anymore. We need to start working towards a solution to bring him down."

"I guess our lives just got harder."

* * *

In the days after the ball, Aria noticed how Tatsumi would avoid Tsu while the elder acted as though he had done nothing wrong. Men and their pride, Kurome and Wave stuck close to Tatsumi, often acting like physical walls protecting him from Tsu's awareness. It weighed on her heart to know the two were fighting despite their unusual relationship.

When it was time to meet with Leone, they sat at the same café that Tsu had designated as a safe meeting point. A place that had seen more secrets discussed than any place outside the Imperial Palace.

"Lubbock's dead." Aria opened the conversation with Leone, determined to get the bad news out immediately.

The other blonde seemed stunned before shaking her head. "Damn. That pervert was annoying, but we'll miss him." Leone settled back into business mode. "So anything else?"

Aria handed off several thick reports, full of high-level orders and military secrets from the hidden Records room. "All this. And Tsu might actually be a humanoid Danger Beast."

Leone blinked, surprised by the news. "Well that might explain a lot."

"Esdeath is planning some excursion to train the Jaegers. I'm going to try and dig up more, but it's hard with my identity revealed."

Leone nodded, agreeing. "Good luck, cutie. You're going to need it."

Aria wasn't entirely sure what luck would do at this point.

* * *

When Tatsumi returned to Esdeath's bedchambers, she felt a slight change in the air around him. Since the ball and her rebuking of his actions, he had acted quite lost and depressed. A worrisome thing for her considering their agreement. While gathering his bedding and pillow to sleep on a couch in her room, Esdeath was surprised when he decided to speak up for the first time in days.

"Esdeath, I need to see my girlfriend." He declared, an ominous level of determination in his eyes.

The general considered the request for a moment before reaching her decision. "I'm planning an excursion to properly determine Kurome and Wave's abilities at Mt. Fake. If you come along and are able to slip away safely, I will permit it. But this is contingent on your return to aid me in my mission."

Tatsumi's smiled, his face full of genuine happiness. "Of course." Something in his smile told Esdeath he wasn't just returning to his lover, but that he had finally solved his problem that had brought them together in the first place.

"Then I have no issues."

* * *

Aria spent the next several days delving further into the First Emperor's journal, finding herself more sickened and filled with pity for Tsu. The physical and mental testing of his Teigu's capabilities and its requirement of total obedience to the First Emperor had culminated into an unspeakable level of abuse and torture that would leave most humans utterly hollow.

As she finished the first half of the detailed confession, the starting lines of the next page caught her eye.

" _After confirming that his body and mind were little more than extensions of my will to fulfill their purpose, I decided to test the only bastion he could have left: his heart and soul. At my orders, he fell in love with and married a woman that he hadn't met before that day. After several months, I released him from the command with the ability to speak his mind. The level of eloquence to his swearing managed to even boggle my mind as he cursed me for such horrible torture. To be trapped inside your own mind and body while it seduced someone and spoke empty words seemed too much for him. But with another command, the trial was erased from his memory."_

Aria managed to suppress her growl of disgust at the callous acts of the young leader. She no longer doubted that the key to everything lay in breaking Tsu free from the shackles placed upon him at the dawn of the Empire. But she still needed to know what led to this. She knew how he and the First Emperor met and the aftereffects of being given his Teigu, but she lacked the information about everything in between. And there was only one place to find it.

She waited patiently for Schere to alert her adopted father to lunchtime, and once she confirmed they had left the suites, slipped out herself. She drew her cloak's hood up, hoping that none of the annoying suitors that didn't fear the advisor's reprisals would find her wandering the halls alone. Because she really didn't want to be chastised for using excessive force.

By the time she had snuck into the hidden rooms of the Records Hall, Schere's usual lunchtime was nearly half over. Aria hurried to a secluded corner that contained the oldest records and texts. Pulling out the books, scrolls, and letters to scour their written contents, she searched for any mention of Tsu or his Teigu. But what shocked her was a thick book detailing the creation process and capabilities of all the Teigu. As she opened it to find her desired target, a presence appeared behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Tsu's voice made Aria jump, quickly turning to face him. The advisor stood in halfway in the shadow of a nearby shelf, making his legs appear non-existent.

"Master Tsu, why are you here?" She couldn't keep a waver out of her voice as the subject of her research stared at her with his trademarked impassive mask.

"Looking for you." His eyes shifted and Aria caught a glimpse of emotion flickering across his face. "I don't mean to sound broody, but since I screwed up with Tatsumi I haven't felt right. And since I fail to understand people, I was hoping that you might be able to help, but I'm a little too proud to come begging. But you weren't back at the suites so I became concerned that you might have abandoned me over that slight."

Aria paused for what felt like too long as the admission processed. "You need help? Understanding people?"

His eyes met hers, a light smirk crossing his face. "I understand motives, intent, morals, emotions, dreams, even hope. But that does not reveal the secret of humans to me. They are as mysterious to me as I am to them."

"You're referring to yourself as something other than human again."

"I haven't felt like a human since the day the First Emperor died. I outlived my beloved savior and now guard his dream with everything I have." His sincerity leaked into his normally flat tone.

"Savior, huh?" Aria couldn't meet his eyes, instead chose to stuff her hidden materials into pockets in her dress before withdrawing the journal that had led her here. "I found this on the island, and I've been meaning to ask about it."

"Go ahead."

She took a deep breath, uncertain of how her next words would be taken. "The Emperor wrote this. And in it, he confesses to harming and enslaving you with your Teigu. He even goes so far as-"

"Leave." The command was full of cold malice and anguish, a tone that Aria never expected to hear.

"What?"

"I said leave, you traitorous bitch." Tsu snarled, anger lighting up his face and eyes. "You have one minute before I inform the Imperial Guard of your treachery."

Aria was stunned, to say the least. She was emotionally reeling from his words, but some part of her brain stayed rational, filling her hands with more texts and scrolls before sprinting from the room, his heated gaze tracing her footsteps. By the time she began to see the entryway to the palace, the alarm bells were sounding everywhere. Even as she escaped into the crowds of the late afternoon markets, his words chased her.

An unfair tear slipped past her rational side, staining the journal with a single smudge.

* * *

Diligence was the key to stakeout operations, in Akame's personal opinion. Especially after Leone's return with the saddening news of Lubbock's death and the abrupt lockdown of the Capital preventing anyone from entering the city.

The three Night Raid girls could only speculate as to the reason for the sudden stop of traffic, but were more than happy to use it as a means of filtering their stakeouts. Early in the morning as Akame watched the north gate, she became surprised by the slow exit of a group of people. When they left the shadow of the gate, she couldn't hold back a gasp at the sight. Esdeath led Tatsumi, Kurome, and another Jaeger named Wave out of the capital with camping supplies scattered amongst them. Her hand reached for Murasame on instinct, knowing that this could be an opportunity to take down the general. They had numbers and the element of surprise _. It wouldn't be too troublesome. I've killed her before._

"You keep radiating killing intent like that and the birds will notice and signal Esdeath." A certain presence behind her spoke out, making her turn and draw her sword. The blade hovered an inch from Tsu's neck, though the advisor didn't seem to care about that.

A leering smile that never reached his eyes grew before he batted the sword away by its flat side. "Just like when we first met. Always threatening things because you're afraid."

Akame's eyes narrowed and she kept her grip tight on her weapon. "What are you here for?"

"Personal reasons. Mostly to talk. Maybe pass down some wisdom." Tsu sat and quickly motioned to Akame to follow suit, to which she glared at him for his casual attitude.

"I'll repeat myself once more before striking you down. Why are you here?" Akame readied her sword, a meaningless threat considering her possible opponent.

Tsu sighed and she watched his eyes grow distant. "Do you really love my son Tatsumi?"

Akame's reply was automatic. "Of course I do!"

"Or just the memory of the one from the previous timeline?" Akame's follow-up was cut off by the sudden turn of phrase.

"I-I….I…." She fumbled, unsure of herself for the first time since she had confessed to Tatsumi.

Tsu's eyes clouded with anger, regret, and some unknown emotion as he stood up to pierce Akame with his gaze. "I didn't bring you back to let you live out a fantasy. I brought you back so you could move on. I did you a kindness and you return it with spite."

His words made Akame's anger rise, taking hold of her. "I'm not returning anything to you! You brought me back in time and yet you also changed things. You changed me, you changed the world. You. Changed. Him."

"Because they are two entirely different existences!" Tsu's hands clapped onto her shoulders, an iron grip preventing her escape. "Each one of those changes was brought about for my goals and a happy future. Ones that conveniently allow for you and Tatsumi to have something more. But you waste it. You know nothing of his past or struggles, only that he is close enough to your original to be a substitute despite being a completely different individual." Her eyes fell away, unable to handle the intensity of his gaze.

Akame tried to come up with a comeback, anything to rail against his damning words and their ability to strike at the very core of her being. "So?" It was all she managed to say, a meager defense to stymie a tide of guilt at her own actions from washing over her.

"Let him go." Akame's eyes flew wide at Tsu's suggestion, her eyes returning to his. And there she saw serenity and kindness, something she remembered him radiating with at their first meeting. Something she couldn't handle in the face of his previous emotional attack.

"Why?" She felt tears starting to well up at the thought of leaving Tatsumi. _I can't undo what I've done, but at least let me try again._ Her mind pleaded.

"Because that Tatsumi died. He died years ago. This Tatsumi didn't. My son is alive and he's a bit different, but he's still here and in love with you. If you really want to make the most out of what I gave you, love the current Tatsumi. Not the one you can never have, but the one who would hold you right now." Tsu's eyes were full of compassion, a strange look for someone she preferred to think of as a dangerous third-party.

A few seconds passed before Akame could regain her composure, her heart lightening at the emotional cleansing that had torn her apart moments earlier. "Thank you for that, but don't ever do it again." She told him, returning her attention to the city's gate and trail. But when she failed to find a sign of Tatsumi or his traveling group she turned back to Tsu with rage filling her again.

"You tricked me." She hissed, Murasame prepared to strike.

A sad smile crossed the advisor's face before he countered. "Maybe. But you needed that and now you need to know where they're going."

"What do you want?"

"Simple. Quit interfering with my plans. I've already lost enough due to your changing influence over people and events, but if you stop now we both get what we want. My goals fulfilled, and you get Tatsumi and a nice, happy future with him. So try and stick to the script of what you remember happening." Confidence replaced the sadness on his face, showing his arrogance.

"I make no promises."

"Ironic considering if you used it, you would know where they are going." Tsu strongly hinted with a dose of sarcasm.

"Mt. Fake. That's where they're going and Tatsumi will escape and…." Akame rattled off the events before a hand waved in her face.

"Hush you, I'm in the middle of an intricate plan to change what you remember as recent history so don't go spouting it off like it's confirmed. But you are right about that first part. The second, not so much. Seems he made a clingy friend out of that one navy brat. One who's smart enough to not let that boy out of his sight this time around." Again Tsu hinted, refusing to speak honestly to her about what might happen.

"I have to go." Akame sheathed her sword before turning her back to the white-haired man looking bored with the world. "And consider trying to act more normal with people, it might do you some good."

With a final remark said, she jetted away, already forming possible plans to aid in Tatsumi's escape.

 _This time, I won't fail. I will learn from my mistakes and change this time for the better._

* * *

Tsu confirmed that Akame was gone before letting out a particularly large sigh. "Maybe this will get their heads on straight. If I can't understand them, might as well make sure they understand their own love." He looked out in the direction Akame had run. "Emperor knows how that went."

* * *

 _Imperial Palace, Reign of the First Emperor, Year 36….._

A certain white-haired advisor sat at a conference table with the ministers of public works and economics as they discussed future projects to expand the Capital's walls. Just as they began to settle on a policy, the room's door was thrown open, revealing a well-endowed, blue-haired teen girl in a scarlet tunic with black knee-high boots. She was clearly angry as her grey gaze settled on Tsu.

Sighing and standing up quickly, Tsu skirted the table to meet her. "Lailah, I'm in a meeting…" He started to explain before she slapped him with enough force to toss him back to the table. The other two ministers pushed their chairs away in shock.

"I'm sick and tired of you acting like I don't matter!" She declared, throwing her long hair with a flick of her wrist. "We're married, so act like it."

Tsu gave a grunt before leveraging himself up from the table. "A political marriage to ensure peace. And I'm not interested in children." He deliberately looked away from her, which only seemed to infuriate her more.

Stalking up to him with a malevolent and predatory air, Lailah grabbed him by the chin to force him to look at her. "I'm 16 now, no longer a child by any nation's laws. Now I demand that you love me!" She pushed him back onto the table, crawling on top of him.

The two ministers went from shocked to horrified as the married couple began to fervently make out on the table, sensual groans slipping from the both of them between pressed lips. The two officials hurried out of the room, declaring a need to reschedule the meeting. Whether it was heard was something they didn't wish to think about after the shameless display already put on.

When Tsu and Lailah stopped for air, the advisor couldn't help but smile. "If today was your birthday, you should have just told me. I wouldn't have wasted either of our times then." Lailah smiled at him, happy to hear those words from the man she had come to admire since their first meeting. He returned the smile, his own feelings finally safe to return after growing over the years. She was surprised when Tsu initiated their next kiss, casually flipping them over so he was on top. "Now I think that there is another part of our duty that needs doing."

* * *

 _Present Day….._

Tsu paced outside the Emperor's audience chamber, waiting to give his report about Aria's "treason" and hear the child leader's response.

"Enter." The voice of Prime Minister Honest grated across his ears, forcing the advisor to bite back a growl of annoyance. _Was everything devised to stomp on his plans and hopes?_ If the Minister was there, he would have to be more aware of his own schemes and conflicts than necessary.

Striding into the audience chamber before bowing at the foot of the Emperor's steps, Tsu exuded an air of humility and loyalty that couldn't be matched by any other in the room.

"Your Majesty, I come bearing news of the investigation into the Aria Amholt incident." He spoke, his words lacking any energy.

The Emperor looked to Honest before replying. "Please, give us the report." Tsu managed to not roll his eyes at the thought of the Prime Minister smiling above his bowed head.

"It seems that she has escaped using similar means to the assassin group Night Raid. Further investigations have begun into what records she has managed to steal from the private section of the Imperial Archives. We've even reopened the case about the murders at the Amholt house with the possibility of it being an inside job." Tsu explained, raising his head to look at the Emperor. "In order to recompense for this, we've tightened security both inside and outside of the Capital and I've seized the Amholt estate under the suspicion of terrorist activities."

The Prime Minister seemed annoyed at his thoroughness, though Tsu suspected it was more about his successful prevention of Honest taking more lands and wealth for himself. The Emperor nodded, before frowning in concern. "And what of yourself and your daughter? How are you handling this?"

Tsu blinked, utterly stunned at the compassionate question from the Prime Minister's puppet. A sentiment shared by the Prime Minister if his facial expression was anything to go by. "I confess, I'm still reeling." The advisor slowly admitted, "Schere is saddened that her caretaker is gone, but I'm certain that Aria has had no dangerous influence on her or her education." His head fell. "I feel ashamed to have been the one who brought such a dangerous radical into the Palace. I will do whatever Your Majesty determines is a fitting punishment."

The Emperor appeared thoughtful for a second before declaring his verdict. "In light of your long service with my family, I ask only two things of you. One is that you join the Jaegers on their mission to defeat the rebels and other dangers to this Empire, in lieu of your current duties." The Prime Minister seemed excited about the declaration, something that didn't escape Tsu's notice.

"Of course. It would give me time to check on my other holdings beyond the Capital to ensure their safety as well."

"And second, I've been told you have a name given to you by the First Emperor. One that, if used, guarantees that you will perform to your absolute best." A deep pit settled in Tsu's stomach. The very name that the boy spoke was one that he didn't want to hear. Only two people had ever spoken it, and they were long dead.

Despite his personal feelings on the issue, Tsu pushed them aside to abide by his rule of obedience. "The name you speak of is Mizutsumi. Often shortened to Tsu."

* * *

 _Isle of the Moon's Beast, Reign of the First Emperor, Year 11…._

The First Emperor stood on the beach of the island, ready to leave with the spoils of his night visit. He turned to face the only person he could not see clearly, hiding from the moonlight in the shadows of the ships grounded on the beach.

"I really wish you would tell me your name. It's feels wrong to call you boy when you're clearly more than that." He told the figure, who shrugged their shoulders.

"I was never given one. Not by my nonexistent parents, the freshly-slain god Luna, or any of those monks in your chains." Came the reply.

The First Emperor smiled at the insinuation. "Well then, I guess I will have to give you one." He looked around for a moment before coming to his decision. "We met on this beach on the last day my crew would journey across the sea before turning back. So I think Mizutsumi, the moonlit beach beyond the sea, is a good name."

The shadow's head tilted slightly, as if determining the name's fit. "Me Tsu, Tsu me? Me Tsu, Tsu me." A snap of his fingers signaled his understanding. "My name is Tsu!"

The First Emperor couldn't stop himself from laughing at the boy's bizarre conclusion.

* * *

 _Present Day, Mt. Fake…._

Tatsumi was glad that he'd talked to Esdeath about his escape plans. She had already gone further around the mountain with Kurome, leaving him with only one hurdle. A very clingy Wave.

"Not to sound ungrateful for the companionship, but why?" Tatsumi asked as they made their way up the mountain's trail. The navy-haired boy stood a mere foot away, seeming to not understand the idea of personal space.

Wave gave the back of his head a quick scratch before replying, "Well, after what happened, I figured you could use a good friend close by." His head dipped with a faint queasiness. "Plus, something tells me that you and I have had some of the same kinds of problems." Tatsumi easily guessed what he meant, flashes of the Jaegers and Night Raid passing through his mind. _Ain't that the truth._

Recollecting himself, Tatsumi decided now seemed like the best time to separate since there were no Danger Beasts around. "I've got to take a leak, so you go on ahead." He tried to shoo Wave off, only to watch the sailor's face set in stone. "No way. Esdeath would torture me if you got hurt. Plus you barely know how to use that foreign sword." He pointed to Incursio. Tatsumi mentally scolded himself. _This is my own damn fault for saying I'm just a merchant._

"Well, I… uh…" Tatsumi struggled to find an excuse when a rumbling sounded above them. He started to look up as Wave tackled him. A section of cliff above them had given way, raining stones of various sizes ranging from child-sized pebbles to crushing boulders. Once the cacophony of scraping rock stopped, the two looked at the now-blocked path behind them.

"Looks like we're not heading back that way." Wave remarked, starting to turn away. But Tatsumi felt a tingling sensation in the back of his skull, one that he was intimately familiar with. _Prey sense? Then that means…_ His thoughts were confirmed as several of the larger rocks grew limbs and slashed at Wave's back, tearing his coat while he tried to dodge the ambush. "Get running! I'll take care of these things." He ordered Tatsumi while he drew his sword.

Realizing the opportunity he had been given, Tatsumi followed the order and promptly abandoned Wave. It felt a little heartless to leave him alone against an unknown number of rock mimics, but Tatsumi had his own escape to worry about. _I just hope Esdeath doesn't punish him too severely. It's not going to be his fault and she knows it._

Once he was certain he was far enough away, Tatsumi activated Incursio and began hurry down the side of the mountain. The armor Teigu protected him from the harsh slope before empowering his legs to jump a small canyon. He landed with a smirk, thinking that he had gotten far enough away from Wave to escape. He spotted a small waterfall and stream in a nearby clearing and stopped to take a drink.

 _No way that Wave can find me now. I just feel bad that he's going to be-_

His thoughts were interrupted by an explosive impact in a cliff near his head. Jumping away as the dust settled, Tatsumi caught sight of an armored figure striding towards him. _Shit! He's got an armor type Teigu too!_

"I recognize Incursio." Wave's voice proclaimed, pointing a finger at Tatsumi. "It's a prototype of my Grand Chariot. Which means you have to be part of Night Raid!"

Tatsumi settled into his stance, waiting to see what Wave would do. He timed his escape attempt to Wave's blinks, measured by the dimming of his glowing eyelets. Tatsumi didn't make it far before a shadow passed him, landing on a rock formation ahead of him.

"You're not going to escape that easily. Accept your fate and fight me!" Wave declared. _Why did he of all people have to show up? If it had been Esdeath or even Kurome, I would be long gone._

Wave charged at Tatsumi, throwing punches that the Night Raid member managed to partially block. A gap in the assault gave Tatsumi the opening he needed to jump high and escape the barrage. But before he could take advantage of the altitude, Wave reappeared, using a kick to slam Tatsumi into the stream. The surge of cold forced Tatsumi to refocus, activating Incursio's invisibility to trick Wave into running downstream after a 'swimming escapee'.

After waiting until he was certain that Wave was gone, Tatsumi resurfaced, grateful to Sheele for teaching him how to swim in armor. _Your lessons really saved me there._ He felt Incursio disengage as his knees gave out on the gravel shore. He held himself up with his arms, a few coughs rattling his chest.

 _Damn, that kick was powerful. I think he broke some of my ribs. That could have killed me._ Tatsumi started to crawl towards the forest's edge. _But now I can go back home. Make everything -_

His arms gave out, the backlash of Incursio finally reaching his muscles. He let out a groan as his ribs met the ground. The sound of rustling leaves drew his eyes upward, meeting a clawed yellow foot that was attached to a horned tigeresque Danger Beast. _Oh come on! Fuck you fate and your bad timing!_ He thought, the growls of the predator in front of him stopping words from forming.

He watched the creature lunge forward, its intent clear. _Forgive me Akame. I can't keep our promise._ The thoughts drifted through his mind as he closed his eyes in acceptance.

The sound of steel cutting through flesh made his eyes open to a wondrous sight. Akame herself had appeared, Murasame cutting through the Danger Beast's head with ease.

When she landed elegantly nearby, Tatsumi couldn't believe it. "A-Akame?" He wanted to hope this wasn't some cruel taunt from the gods before his death.

"Tatsumi." She looked at him with the same loving gaze she always had. "You're okay." She knelt down next to him, inspecting him for any wounds that she could find.

"Why? How…?" Tatsumi couldn't form the questions he wanted answers to.

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. All that matters is that you're back." Tears were in both of their eyes, their happiness overflowing at their reunion.

She helped him to his feet, before planting a light kiss on his cheek. He blushed and returned the gesture. "I'm home."


End file.
